Teenage Dreams
by Lucinders
Summary: AU Eighteen-year-old Cristina Yang, Smith College student, meets 26-year-old medical resident Owen Hunt in the emergency room at Mass Gen.
1. Chapter 1 Emergency room

**A/N: Eighteen-year-old Smith College student Cristina Yang meets 26-year-old medical resident Dr Owen Hunt in the emergency room at Mass Gen**

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><p>"Gosh, Cristina, this night has been the pits," Eileen said to her friend, Cristina as they sat in the emergency room at the hospital.<p>

"I wonder how much longer we will have to wait here," Cristina asked. Her ankle was really starting to ache, now. She and Eileen had been waiting 45 minutes in the emergency room.

A nurse came out and started calling names. "Cristina Yang, Room 1. Jorge Javier Santos, Room 2. Lorna Jordan, Room 3."

"That's us," Eileen said, as she helped Cristina to the first bed.

Resident Dr Owen Hunt was hoping that this would be his last patient of the day. He had worked a double shift in the emergency room and he was exhausted.

As he pushed aside the curtain, he saw a tiny Asian girl, with an obviously swollen ankle, accompanied by a tall, blonde friend. "Oh, she is a little cutie," he thought. "But way too young." She looked to be about 16 years old.

He checked the admittance form. She wasn't 16 but 18 years old. He didn't know why but somehow, that pleased him. "She's legal," he thought. "But still way too young."

"I am Dr Owen Hunt. I see you have had a spot of trouble with your ankle," he said.

"Cristina, I see you're a California girl. You're far away from home," he noted her permanent address in Beverly Hills, California. "I'm from the west coast, too. Seattle, originally. So what are you doing in Massachusetts?

Eileen interjected, "We're at school at Smith." She was shocked at how gorgeous this doctor was, with his red hair and bright blue eyes. Oh my, what a big, strapping specimen of a man, Eileen thought. She unconsciously started fixing her hair.

"Smith is in Northampton. So what are you girls doing in Boston?" Owen asked.

"We came for a concert. Then, we tried to get in a few bars but we couldn't get in. Me, I had no problem with my fake ID. But one look at Cristina, and they said that no way that she could be 21, so we got kicked out. We were taking the T back to the hotel and then she tripped coming off the train and twisted her ankle," Eileen said, eager to tell this handsome doctor about the night's events.

Cristina wished Eileen would quit talking, especially about the fake IDs. She glared at Eileen, who was still too busy, gaping at the good-looking doctor.

"She couldn't walk with the ankle and some guy picked her up and carried her out of the train station to a taxi, so we could get here. Then, the taxi driver carried her to the emergency room. She's so small, people have no problems, picking her up," Eileen started babbling.

Cristina wondered why Eileen could not shut her trap. She looked at her friend, who seemed to be in awe of this doctor. Cristina looked at him and silently agreed that he was good-looking in a rugged kind of way. He looked like he worked out because his body was pretty awesome, she noted.

Owen also wished Eileen would stop talking because he had yet to hear Cristina speak. He took her small foot into his hands and squeezed the ankle. "Ow," she cried, as a single tear rolled down her face.

"I don't think it's broken but we will take an x-ray to make sure," he said. He asked Eileen to step out as he used the portable x-ray. It was also because he wanted her to stop talking.

He gazed at her, as she lay down on the table. She had a full head of glossy, ebony curls, which framed her delicate features.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, quietly.

"While we wait for the films, let's have a little chat," he said.

"Okay," she said. He wished she would say more than one-word sentences.

"So why did you come all the way to Smith, instead of going to school in California?" he asked.

"I needed to get away from my overbearing mother," she said.

"I assume that is your emergency contact on this form. Helen Rubenstein," Owen said, perusing the admittance form.

"Yes, that is the wicked witch of the west," Cristina said, most seriously.

He had to laugh at that. In fact, he couldn't stop laughing. Cristina also broke out into a smile and then she started laughing, too.

It turned out that she didn't have a broken ankle, only twisted. He wrapped up the ankle, all the time, stealing glances at her.

"So how are you going to get back to your hotel?" he asked.

"We'll probably take a taxi back," she said.

"Well, I am off now. If you like, I can take you and your friend to your hotel," he said.

"You'll do that for us?" she was surprised. "Thank you, Dr Hunt."

"No problem. Let me get my things and I will bring round my car at the entrance and I will pick the both of you up," he said.

The ride to the hotel was too quiet so Owen decided to start a conversation. "So you're staying at the Four Seasons. That's a five star hotel. That's pretty impressive for two college students," he said.

"Oh," Eileen was quick to inform, "Cristina's family is R-I-C-H. Her stepdad is a big-shot oral surgeon in Beverly Hills. He gave her a credit card and she can spend whatever she wants on it, and he pays the bill."

He took a quick look at Cristina and she seemed embarrassed by Eileen's candor about her financial situation.

Cristina was glad that the ride was mercifully quick before Eileen revealed much more about her personal stuff in front of this stranger.

"How are you going to get to your room?" he asked.

"Eileen will help me. I will just hop on one leg," she said.

"Hold on, I will help you," he said. He ran over to the passenger side and gently picked Cristina up into his arms.

"Gosh darn it. Why couldn't I be the one with the twisted ankle?" Eileen thought.

He carried her up right up to their room and deposited her on her bed. He took the hotel note pad and wrote down his number. "If you're getting any pain, you can call me at this number," he told her. In reality, he just wanted to give her his phone number and hidden it under the guise of being a caring doctor.

"Do you need my phone number?" she asked.

"Sure, give it to me. I will give you a call next week to see how you're doing," he said, as he handed her the pad and pen. Inwardly, he smiled.

As he left, he tucked the piece of paper into the pocket of his coat jacket. He could not believe he had just exchanged phone numbers with an 18-year-old, whose hair smelled like orange blossoms. When he was carrying her, he had the impulsive thought of burying his face in her hair but he figured that would have been a little too forward. There was something about her he just couldn't resist. She was intoxicating.

Back in the room, Eileen screamed. "Oh my God, Cristina. That guy is so gorgeous. And he is smart, too. He's a doctor."

"Don't get so hyped up about it. That's right, he's a doctor. He must be around 25 or 26. That's way too old for you. He won't even give girls like us a second look," she said. "And he is probably used to girls putting out."

"Cristina, you're a virgin. I am not," Eileen said.

"Well, that's because I am very focused on my studies. Boys are such a distraction," Cristina said.

"Well, you have his phone number. Are you going to call it?" Eileen asked, excitedly.

"No, unless I am in pain. He was just being a good doctor, Eileen. I am not going to bother him about anything trivial," Cristina said. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

Meanwhile, Owen drove back to his apartment, which was a far cry from the Four Seasons Hotel. It was a simple one-bedroom apartment; it was the best he could afford in downtown Boston on his resident's salary. It didn't really matter anyway because he spent most of his time at the hospital.

As he lay on his bed, he had an internal conversation with himself, "What are you thinking, Owen? She's 18 years old. Just out of high school. And rich. Possibly even a virgin."

As he fell asleep, he started to dream of an Asian girl with raven curls and porcelain skin.

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><p><strong>AN: Since Owen and Cristina both went to school in the Massachusetts area, he to Harvard and she to Smith, I wondered what it would have been like if they had met years ago. I just felt that Mass Gen might have been a good place for him to do his residency. I hope you enjoyed it. **

**REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED. **


	2. Chapter 2 Getting to know you

**A/N: Thanks for the positive reviews, which gave me encouragement to continue this story.**

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><p>He waited exactly seven days before he called her. Owen had hoped that she would have called him before that but no such luck. It was total silence on her part. He chided himself for actually wishing that she were in pain to have had the need to call him.<p>

He practiced his greetings to sound as casual as possible. "Hey, Cristina, this is Dr. Hunt," "Hello, Cristina, this is Owen," "Hi, Cristina, how are you?" were some of his efforts. He felt like a freaking teenager, trying to talk to the girl of his dreams.

He cleared his throat before he dialled the number. She answered after three rings, "Hello, this is Cristina." His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice.

"Hi, Cristina, this is Dr. Hunt," he said.

"Oh, hi, Dr. Hunt. How are you?" she said.

"I'm fine. I'm just calling to see how your ankle is doing. I didn't hear from you so I decided to give you a call," he said, hoping he sounded nonchalant.

"It's been going well. I had a follow up at our student health center and they said you did a good job. It doesn't hurt that much again. They gave me crutches to help me move around," she said.

"How did you carry your backpack?" he asked.

"Eileen had to carry it for me and she was so mad because she had to carry her own, too," she said.

Suddenly, from the background, he could clearly hear Eileen's voice, "Who you're talking to, Cristina? Is it that gorgeous doctor from Boston?"

He heard Cristina say, "Shhhh" to Eileen, which was followed a giggle from both girls.

"Sorry about that, Dr Hunt," Cristina apologized.

"You know you can call me Owen, since I already call you Cristina," he said.

"Okay, Owen," she agreed. There was another giggle from Eileen in the background, followed by another "shhhh" from Cristina.

"So you're doing well," he said.

"Yup," she said. "I think I will be on my own two feet in a couple of days."

"Can I call you again?" he asked.

"Yes you can, if you want," she sounded surprised.

"Okay, Cristina, till the next time I call. Bye," he said.

"Alright, bye Owen."

He hung up the phone, satisfied that he hadn't frightened her away.

Meanwhile at the Smith campus, Cristina and Eileen were giggling away. "He wants to call me again," Cristina said.

"Really?" Eileen said. "Wow, you made an impression on the handsome doctor."

"Maybe he is just being nice," Cristina said.

"Oh, please. He can have any girl he wants. He's good looking, he has a hot bod, he's a doctor, he's a catch, Cristina," Eileen said. "He wants you."

"You think? But he is a real grown-up, Eileen. We're barely grown-ups. I can't even get into a bar or a club before they kick me out with my fake ID," Cristina countered. "There's no reason that he would want to be with me. I don't even put out."

"Hahahaha," Eileen cackled.

"I am not going to read anything to this," Cristina said. "He just wants to be my friend and that's it."

Eileen snickered at that statement.

"In any case, I have this paper to finish, so I am not going to worry about Dr Hunt at this moment," Cristina said, ignoring her friend's silly grin.

Three nights later, as she was sitting in the Talbot House double room, which she shared with Eileen, her phone rang. It was Owen.

"Ooh, he really is calling me as he said he would," she said, shaking her head. She really didn't quite believe it.

"Hello Owen," she said.

"Hi Cristina. How are you?" he said.

"I'm doing alright. You would be pleased to know that I am walking without crutches. I am walking on my two feet and nobody has to carry my backpack for me," she announced, triumphantly.

"That's great," he said.

"So what are you doing now?" she asked.

"I am on call at the hospital. I am taking a break and I decided to give you a call," he said. "It has been busy in the ER – a few broken bones, a vehicular accident, a kid that fell out of a tree with internal injuries and broken ribs, a couple of stabbings and one shooting."

"Wow, my sprained ankle doesn't stack up to that," she said.

"Hey, I am glad that you and your sprained ankle came through the emergency doors," he said. "So what are you doing?"

"I am in my bedroom at Talbot House. I am in my pjs and doing a homework assignment for psych class," she told him.

She sounded so young when she said that, he thought. Doubts about their age difference nagged at him.

His pager beeped and interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, I gotta go now. They need me in the pit. I'll call you tomorrow," he said. He didn't even realize that he had said that he would call her the next day. It just came out of his mouth, so naturally.

"Okay, go be a doctor. Bye, bye," she said, feeling strangely warm on the inside.

The next night, he called her. And the next night. And the night after that. It almost became a ritual. He called her every night and she began to look forward to it. If she didn't answer the first time he called, he would make sure to call her later.

It became so that her day was not complete without his call. Sometimes, their conversations were long, sometimes short, depending on how busy he was. But without fail, he would call.

She would tell him about her day at school, her professors, her classes, her friends, the trouble she would get into. She made him laugh because she was so funny, smart, sarcastic and cute. He would tell her about what it was like to be a resident – the long hours, his fellow residents, the mean attendings, the cool surgeries and the strange cases.

She told him that she wanted to be a doctor, too – a cardio-thoracic surgeon. He told her that he was certain that she could do it. His vote of confidence made her happy.

Even though she knew that she was developing a huge crush on him, her logical mind stopped her from believing that she could ever be more than a friend to him – a young friend, whom he found to be amusing.

He, on the other hand, was hoping that he was becoming more than that. After all, they had been speaking every night on the phone for the last eight weeks. He had never invested that amount of time in getting to know a girl that well.

He wanted more than just a conversation every night. He wanted to see her, to have some physical contact, to smell her hair, to watch her smile. He decided that with his next day off, he was going to give her a surprise visit.

The night before his day off, he drove the 81 miles from Boston to Northampton so he could take her out to dinner. He was going to spend the night at a hotel and then, maybe they could spend the next day together. Little did he know he was going to be the one in for the surprise.

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><p>There was a sharp rap at the door at Talbot House. Eileen opened the door, only to be shocked by the presence of the handsome Dr. Hunt, who had flowers in hand.<p>

"Hello Eileen," he said. "How have you been?"

"I am fine, Dr. Hunt. Are you here to see Cristina? Was she expecting you?" she asked.

"No, I just came to surprise her," he said.

"Ohhhh," Eileen said. "I'll just get her."

Two minutes later, Cristina and Eileen came back. It was clear that Cristina was dressed to go somewhere in a dark pair of jeans, lacy white top and high-heeled ankle boots.

"Hey," she said. "I didn't know you were coming down. You should have called me so I would have cancelled my date."

"Date?" he asked. He didn't know that she was dating.

"Yeah, I am so sorry," she said.

At that point, a young blonde guy with a couple of tattoos and piercings appeared at the open front door. "Cristina, are you ready?" he asked, barely acknowledging the presence of the other two people in the room.

"Yeah, Jeremy."

Owen watched as Jeremy placed a helmet on Cristina's head, slipped on her leather jacket and took her hand. She turned to Owen and offered her apologies with her eyes. As she followed Jeremy out of the door down the front pathway, she suddenly made an about-turn and came back into the house.

"I assume you're staying the night in Northampton. Where are you staying? We're just going to the movies and I can pop in after that," she said.

"Clarion," he said, disappointed at how his night had been going so far. He watched them roar away on Jeremy's motorcycle.

Eileen was feeling terrible for the doctor. "Clearly, Cristina had to be blind. The man drove 81 miles just to surprise Cristina and she disappears into the night with stupid Jeremy, who isn't half as good-looking as Dr Hunt," she thought.

Owen turned to Eileen and handed her the flowers. "Could you put this in a vase for her?" he asked. "Since I already have dinner reservations and if you're not doing anything tonight, would you like to come and share a meal with me?"

"Yes, yes," Eileen screamed. She ran to her room to get changed. She hoped some of the other girls would see her with this gorgeous man.

At the restaurant, Eileen could sense Owen's gloomy mood. She knew she was just a poor substitute for the person he really wanted to be with. She also knew that the conversation would eventually steer towards Cristina.

"How long has she been seeing this guy?" he needed to know.

"This is just their second date," Eileen answered. She could sense how down he was feeling, so she added, "The guys don't mean anything."

"You mean there is more than one?" he was incredulous.

"Yeah, that's why they don't mean anything. She will go out with a guy, maybe once or twice but never for the third time," Eileen explained.

"Why?" he was curious.

"Because she says by the third date, they get all touchy-feely and she's not into that. She says that's when they start becoming a distraction," Eileen said. While the fact that she was dating made him feel uneasy, knowing that the guys were not serious somehow comforted him.

His mood lifted a little after that and he consoled himself that she said that she was going to come by to see him, after her date. "After her date? What a joke, Owen Hunt," he thought.

After a pleasant dinner, he dropped Eileen back to Talbot House and drove to his hotel to await the arrival of Cristina.

He was probably there for about 30 minutes, when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it for Cristina, who was looking all chipper and cute. Her curls were loose and tumbled over her shoulders.

"Hey there now," she said.

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><p><strong>AN: As always, reviews are appreciated. Please leave your thoughts.**


	3. Chapter 3 Laying it all out

"So where's your date?" Owen asked, bitterly.

He was acutely aware of how angry he sounded. He wished it hadn't come out as harsh as it did but he had planned this whole romantic night and it did not come to pass. And yes, he was pissed.

Cristina was surprised by his tone but as far as she was concerned, she hadn't done anything wrong. If he had called, she would have cancelled her date with Jeremy because the truth was that she would have preferred to spend her evening with Owen, rather than Jeremy.

Jeremy had been quite peeved at her request to drop her off at the Clarion because he really wanted to go somewhere to make out with her. "So it seems," Cristina thought, "I am just getting everyone annoyed tonight."

"Why are you so mad, Owen? If you had called me and let me know you were coming, I would have cancelled the date and we could have done whatever you wanted to do," she said.

"Then there is the fact that you actually had a date. You never told me that you were dating," he said. "For the past eight weeks, I have spoken to you every night on the phone and not once, did you mention that you were dating."

"So, what's the big deal? We're just friends who talk on the phone. I don't have to tell you everything that happens in my life," she said.

It took him half a second to make the three steps to reach her. He took her face in his hands and pressed his mouth against hers. She didn't respond because she was taken aback by his boldness. When he pulled back, she seemed quite stunned if he could judge by the knitted brows and the open rosebud mouth.

"Let's try that again," he said. And he kissed her a second time. This time, she responded to his kiss. She opened her mouth slightly to accept his tongue. His kisses made her knees weak and she felt all gooey and warm on the inside. She had never been kissed like that before.

She was so used to the slobbery technique of teenaged boys, which always turned her off. "This is what it was like to be kissed by a man, not a boy," she thought. "This was a true testament on how experience really pays off."

He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "You seemed to have not figured this out as yet. I don't want to be just your friend. I want to be something more. Why do you think I call you every night? Why do you think I drove 81 miles to be here tonight? Why do you think I want to spend my day off with you? I'm doing this because I want you to be my girlfriend," he said.

"I don't want you dating other guys. That's why I am mad. I thought you understood that. I came up here to surprise you and I had planned a whole romantic dinner. Then I come here and find out that you had a date with some tattooed, pierced-up guy who rides a motorcycle," he said.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about Jeremy, anymore. He reached his expiry date," she said.

"You mean your third-date rule?" he said.

"Oh, that Eileen, why does she always tell you my secrets?" she shrieked.

"Oh, I think that Eileen is my ally in this. She tells me things that you won't tell me," he said.

"Why do you want to be with me? You're good-looking, you're smart, and you're a doctor. You can easily get women, who are experienced and know things. Things that I don't have a clue about," she said, hoping he would get what she was trying to say.

"You mean that you're a virgin. I kinda figured that out from your third-date rule," he said.

"And it doesn't bother you?" she asked.

"No and I am willing to wait until you're ready. And for as why I want to be with you, I really, really like you. You're smart, you're funny, you're pretty and I think we have great conversations. I think we could be good together. If you give me a chance, I think it would be so easy to love you," he said. "There's something about you that I find irresistible. I knew that from the moment I met you."

"So the question, Cristina, is how do you feel about me?" he asked.

She found it difficult to articulate how huge a crush she had on him, how much she liked him. It was actually kind of embarrassing, she thought, to say it out loud. So she did what she thought was the best way she could let him know. She offered her mouth for him to kiss.

He smiled and crushed her full, pink lips under his.

When they finally came up for air, he said, "So that's your answer. I like your answer."

And they kissed again.

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><p>They lay on the bed, her head against his chest, with his arm around her tiny body. He breathed in the orange blossom scent of her shampoo.<p>

"Cristina, can I ask you a question about your dating?" he ventured because truthfully, her dating still bothered him, even though he knew she was not serious about any of the guys.

"What?" she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

"In the eight weeks that I have been calling you, how many dates have you been on?" he asked.

She thought for a minute, "Nine."

He gave her an incredulous look, so she offered, "Five of those were second dates, and so they're done for in my books. Eileen says that I am a serial dater." She chuckled but he did not join in because he was not amused.

"Alright, Cristina. From now on, NO more dates, NO more guys, NO more serial dating. That's it for you and the dating. I can't have my girlfriend dating other guys. Those four guys who had their first dates with you, are not going to get a second date," he said in a serious tone.

"So I guess that means that I have to cancel the two dates I have next week. Huh?" she asked.

"Cristina!" he threw his hands in the air.

"Okay, okay, they're going to be cancelled," she said, as she yawned. She settled her body closer to him.

He switched off the lamp and the room became quiet and dark. She listened to the evenness of his breathing. It was a soothing sound.

"Owen," she whispered, "I would give you a third date."

He smiled and hugged her.

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><p>The next morning, he took her back to Talbot House so she could get changed. She tried to sneak into the room without waking up Eileen. She was unsuccessful because the lamp next to Eileen's bed suddenly switched on.<p>

"Cristina, what the hell are you doing? Are you now coming in from your date? Did you sleep with Jeremy, last night? What the hell is wrong with you? You have the gorgeous doctor coming from Boston to see you and you spend the night with that idiot. I just can't believe you," Eileen yelled.

"Why do you jump to such conclusions, Eileen? And keep your voice down. We don't want to wake up other people. No, I didn't sleep with Jeremy. I was with Owen, last night," Cristina said.

"Oh my God, does this mean you did the dirty deed? Tell me, tell me now," Eileen sat up in bed, excitedly.

"No, we slept in the same bed but we didn't have sex," Cristina said.

"Why the hell not? Have you seen that guy? I would be all over him like a bag of potato chips," Eileen said.

"I told him I wasn't ready and he said he knew that because of my third-date rule. Why did you have to tell him about the third-date rule, Eileen? Can you not keep my secrets?" Cristina asked.

"If you are going to do something stupid like let that hot doctor slip through your fingers, I am going to spill all of your secrets, Cristina Yang," Eileen declared. "How are you going to keep him at bay?"

"I don't have to. He said he would wait until I was ready," Cristina answered.

"What, he's a saint, in addition to all that hotness. You're a lucky girl, Cristina," Eileen said, shaking her head.

"Just going to take a quick shower, change my clothes and Owen and I headed out to breakfast," she said, undressing quickly. "We are going to spend the day together."

"Whoohoo!" Eileen said, laughing.

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><p>Cristina and Owen had one of the best days of their lives. They talked, walked, held hands, saw a movie, ate a lot, shopped, hugged, kissed and kissed some more. By evening, they were having dinner at the same restaurant where he had originally planned to take her, the night before.<p>

"So this is where I wanted to take you last night. I ended up taking Eileen and it was nice but she wasn't you," he said.

Cristina smiled, certain that Eileen enjoyed it.

"Do you know what this dinner is?" he said. "It's our third date. We had breakfast together – First Date. Lunch together – Second Date. Dinner together – Third Date. Now I can get all touchy-feely with you."

"You were already touchy-feely even before our first date, Owen," she chuckled.

"Yeah, that's true. I just broke your third-date rule. Hey, I have something for you," he said. "I was going to give it to you last night but better late than never."

He handed over a small velvet box.

"You got me a gift. How sweet of you. I am sorry I don't have anything for you," she said, ruefully.

"Don't worry about that. Just open it," he said, excitedly.

She opened it and found a gold necklace with two pendants on it – a diamond heart and a golden key.

"I am giving you the key to my heart," he said. "Don't laugh. I know it's corny but it's how I feel."

"Yeah, it's corny but I still think it's beautiful," she said, as she put it on. "How does it look?"

"Not as beautiful as the person wearing it," he said.

They did have the romantic candlelit dinner that he had planned all along.

Before he drove back to Boston, he kissed her softly and he promised that he would be back on his next day off.

She went back to her dorm room and fell asleep, touching the diamond heart between her fingers.

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><p><strong>AN: As always, reviews are appreciated. They are the only reasons I continue these stories.**


	4. Chapter 4 The first time

Twenty-nine-year-old Dr Gabrielle Jones looked over at her colleague, Dr Owen Hunt, as he updated his charts. Something had changed in Owen Hunt over the last five months. He had been a brooding creature but now, there was a lightness of spirit in him.

In the months before, Gabby and Owen had been sex buddies. Neither of them had been dating anybody and they started sleeping together as a form of release to their stressful jobs. A quickie in the on-call room could release a lot of stress, they both realized. She had hoped then that it would have developed into something more meaningful but he never gave any indication that he wanted to pursue any sort of relationship. Even though he was three years younger than her, she still would not have minded dating him.

Then, five months ago, he stopped accepting her invitations to the on-call room. He had turned her down three times, before he finally admitted that he was seeing someone and he did not want to cheat on her. Gabby knew her name, too because she had heard him on the phone with her. He seemed to call her every night, and Gabby could see the changes in his face, when he spoke to his girlfriend. His features softened, his voice changed timbre, especially when he said her name, "Cristina."

He never seemed to spend any of his days off in Boston. After his shift ended on the night before his day off, he would just take off in his car. She asked his friend, Josh, where Owen was going. Josh said that Owen had a girl in Northampton and he would go there on his day off. All she knew about Northampton was that the Smith College campus was there.

Her questions were answered late one night in the ER. It had been a relatively slow night in the ER, a couple of broken bones and a few minor accidents were there that night. Nothing to write home about, she thought. She noticed her standing there – a pretty, petite, Asian girl in a Smith College hoodie. Gabby did note that the girl had the most fabulous hair she had ever seen. As a woman, one couldn't help but notice these things, she thought.

The girl seemed to looking for someone. Gabby went to her and said, "Good night. I am Dr Gabrielle Jones. May I help you?" At five foot nine, Gabby towered over the tiny girl.

"Yes, please," the girl said. "I am looking for Dr Owen Hunt. Could you tell him that Cristina is here?"

"Cristina," Gabby thought, "this sprite is Cristina. A big hunk of a man like Owen is dating this delicate slip of a girl. How young is this girl? She has to be at least 18 to be in college."

Gabby finally found her voice and said, "Yes, he is here. I will get him for you."

"Thank you very much," the munchkin said.

Gabby went off in search of Owen. She found him, wrapping the knee of an elderly gentleman. She chose her words carefully, "There is a kid out there to see you. She has a curly ponytail and is wearing a Smith hoodie."

His face broke out into a huge smile. That confirmed to Gabby that she was definitely Owen's Cristina. He finished wrapping the knee and headed out to the ER reception area.

Gabby watched them together. She noted the change in Owen's face – it was the same expression he had when he talked to her on the phone. Owen Hunt was in love. For her part, the girl's face lit up when she saw him. It was clear she loved him, too. Gabby was happy for Owen. She wished she had what they had.

* * *

><p>Owen was smiling broadly when he saw her. "Cristina, what are you doing here? How did you get here? I was going to drive out to see you, after my shift. Day off tomorrow."<p>

"I took the bus from Northampton. I have a surprise for you. I got a car. I asked my step-dad and he leased a car for me so I can use it while I am at school. I just picked it up from the dealer. So no more bus for me. It also means I can drive down from school to see you. We can do more stuff in Boston, anyway than in Northampton," she said, excitedly, her eyes shining.

"That's really great," he said. He loved it when she was happy.

"I also have another surprise for you," she said, with a shy smile.

"What? A bigger surprise than the fact that you're here," he grinned.

"I'm ready," she said.

"Ready for what?" he asked, puzzled.

"I'm ready. I'm on the pill, now," she said.

"You're ready. Is that why you're here?" he asked, smiling. He had been waiting for her to say this for a while.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Alright, I have an hour left on my shift. Maybe you can go get something to eat and meet me back here," he said, his anticipation was starting to build.

"Yeah, I was thinking I could get some pho," she said. "I will be back in an hour."

He watched her disappear through the ER doors. He immediately got on the phone and booked a suite at the Ritz Carlton. He wanted this to be memorable for her, no sweaty coupling in the back seat of a car or his dinky one-bedroom apartment. Truth be told, he had started putting aside some money for a night like this. Rooms at a five star hotel like the Ritz Carlton would take a huge toll on a resident's budget.

The last hour of his shift seemed to be crawling. He just could not wait to get out of there to be with Cristina.

She returned five minutes before his shift ended. He smiled when he saw her come through the doors.

"Hey, I brought you some pho. It was really good," she said, smacking her lips together.

He got his coat and they went out to the parking lot.

"This is my car," she said, proudly, showing him a white BMW convertible. "We can leave your car in the parking lot and drive mine. I want to show you how good I can drive."

"Okay," he said. "We're going to the Ritz Carlton."

"Mmm, fancy," she said.

"Only the best for my babe," he said.

She giggled.

* * *

><p>They opened the door of the hotel suite he had booked for the night. She put the pho down on the table and looked around, "This is really great, Owen. Luxurious."<p>

Owen thought so, too. It was not everyday he would even be seeing the insides of a hotel like the Ritz Carlton. He came from a middle-class home in Seattle, unlike his Beverly Hills princess, who probably had seen the insides of fancy hotels across the globe.

As he settled down to eat, she announced that she was going to take a bath. She disappeared into the bathroom and 20 minutes later, came out in a big, fluffy robe and slippers, with her hair wrapped in a towel. He finished his meal and headed into the bathroom. He was going to wash away the sweat of his day. He needed to be fresh and clean for this, he thought.

He had anxiously been waiting for this moment for quite a while. He hadn't wanted to push her too much before she ran away, screaming, never to return. He felt it was only natural that he would want to make love to his girlfriend. Any guy would. It had been really difficult to pull away from kissing her when a certain part of his anatomy was granite-hard. And that had happened a little bit too much for his liking.

He towelled off and pulled on a big, fluffy robe. She was already in the bed, under the sheets and if he could see properly, she seemed to be wearing some sort of black lingerie.

He took off his robe and got under the sheets with her. She was wearing a sheer black babydoll nightgown with matching g-string underwear. He asked, "Is this all for me?"

She smiled, "Only for you, babe." She wondered in her head if that sounded dumb. "Maybe I should stop trying to talk sexy," she thought. "He probably thinks I am an idiot."

He gave her some deep kisses, rolling his tongue on her own, while his hands explored under her lingerie to linger on her breasts. "Let's just get this off, shall we?" as he untied it and took it off her. He slipped off her underwear, too. "What was the point of getting all of the sexy lingerie, when all he wants to do is just take it off," she thought. "I could be wearing a burlap sack and he wouldn't care because he was just going to take it off."

Owen was feeling a little bit nervous. He had never had sex with a virgin before. Even his first sexual experience at the age of 16 was not with a fellow virgin but with his friend Ronnie's 19-year-old sister Tanya, who was known in the neighborhood as being hot to trot. That experience was more like "slam, bam, thank you ma'am." That experience was just about a horny teenager, wanting to boast to his friends that he finally did it. This was different, he loved Cristina and he was certain that she loved him back. He needed to make it special for her.

He started by leaving a trail of soft kisses from her face, to her neck, to her shoulders, to her arms, to her breasts, to her stomach and finally, between her legs. He pushed her legs apart to get to her sex, and used his tongue to penetrate her. Cristina had never felt such sensations in her life before, as he thrust his tongue in and out of her, while rubbing her clit, simultaneously. "Oh, my, that alone was worth the price of admission," she thought. Her breathing became shallow, with each thrust of his tongue. She started pushing her hips up to meet his tongue. It was one of the most pleasurable experiences in her life. Her body shuddered as waves of pleasure overcame her. "Was that an orgasm? If it was, it sure felt great," she thought.

He came up and kissed her deeply, and she tasted herself on his lips. As they kissed, he plunged his fingers into her. First one finger, then two fingers, then three, pushing into her at a fast, rhythmic pace. "Is the man trying to kill me here?" she thought. "If I knew it was going to be so good, I should have jumped his bones sooner."

As he stared into her chocolate brown eyes, he knew she was ready. He was already rock-hard and he positioned himself to enter her. He didn't want to hurt her, so he entered her really slowly. She was very wet but unbelievably tight. He eased himself into her until he was all the way in. He started moving slowly, so she would get used to it. Then he started to build up the pace. It felt so good, she thought, and she started to moan. "What the hell, I'm actually moaning! Oh my God, this feels so freaking amazing," she thought.

She closed her eyes and just felt him thrust deep and hard into her, revelling in the feel of him inside of her. "This…..feels…so…good…..Owen!" she told him through shallow breaths. "Wo-ow!"

"Yeah … babe… it… does," he said between deep thrusts. He started rubbing her clit to increase her sensations because he wanted her to climax before he did. "Come for me, baby."

As the pleasure of the orgasm claimed her body, she let out a scream. "Wow, my baby is a screamer," he thought. "Nice." He couldn't hold back much any longer, as he exploded and spilled his seed into her.

They were both out of breath, as they lay back on the bed. He had wanted the experience for her to be enjoyable, pleasurable and special and he hoped that it was. "Did you like it?" he asked.

She turned to him with shining eyes, kissed him on the mouth and said, "Can we do that again?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I almost feel embarrassed writing about sex. Since Cristina is a virgin, I thought it would be funny to write about what she was thinking during the sex, since it is a brand new experience.**

**As always, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave reviews. Very much appreciated. **


	5. Chapter 5 First major fight

It was a rare occasion that Owen did not drive up the night before his day off. It was early morning and he was headed to Northampton. Last night, the ER was swamped with a multiple-vehicular accident and it was all hands on board. He stayed way past the ending of his shift and by that time, it was too late to drive.

So, he got up early in the morning to make sure he could spend much of his day off with her. It was around 7 a.m. that he arrived to Talbot House. As he drove up, he was surprised to see Cristina out on the front pathway, talking to a sandy-haired young man, who looked to be about 24. Cristina was still in her pjs and looked like if she just got up. The young man handed over some files to her and bade her goodbye. As he left, he rubbed her arm in a very slow and seductive way. Owen was taken aback. He watched the young man drive away and mentally noted the license plate number.

Cristina was turning to go back into the house, when he called out to her. "Cristina, go get dressed. We'll go out for breakfast." She saw him and her face broke out into a huge grin. She nodded and ran into the house.

As he waited for her, he wondered who was that guy and why was he here at her house, so early in the morning. His thoughts were interrupted by Cristina jumping into the passenger car seat.

"Hi, Owen," and she reached over and gave him a huge kiss on the lips.

"Hi, baby. Our favorite place?" he asked.

"Yup and hurry up, I am hungry," she said, happily.

As they sat in the restaurant, sipping their coffee, he asked, "I drove up this morning and I noticed you with a guy at the front of the house."

"Yeah," she said, as she perused the menu, "that was Tom. He is my Chemistry professor's assistant. He was just dropping off some of my lab reports that I did. He had finished grading them. He told me that my work was exceptional."

"So what was he doing there so early in the morning?" he asked.

"Apparently, he was on his way out of town and he just wanted to drop them off before he left. He did tell me something interesting, though," she said, having decided that she was going with the western omelet for breakfast.

"What?" Owen asked, as his interest was piqued.

"He said that I could get some extra credit points if I did some extra lab work. He would set up all of the equipment for me and I could do the experiments, write up my results and submit them for grading. So even if I get a brain freeze in the finals and really muck it up badly, I can still maintain my A, if they add on my extra credit points from the lab," she explained.

Of course, Tom wanted to set up all of the equipment for her, Owen thought, so she could be grateful to him for his help. He knew exactly what Tom wanted from Cristina.

"What was your mid-term grade?" he asked.

"A, of course," she snorted, as if it could be anything else.

"What about your coursework and lab reports?" he queried.

"I am averaging an A in that," she confirmed.

"Then, you don't need the extra lab points. There is no way you are going to mess it up in the finals. You don't need it," he said, hoping he was getting through to her.

Cristina screwed up her face. Nothing was going to stop her from maintaining her 4.0 GPA. If these extra credit points helped, then she was going to do it. Why was Owen so against it, she wondered. Besides, he wasn't even in Northampton on a full-time basis to know anything, anyway, she thought. "What he doesn't know, won't hurt him," she concluded in her mind.

"You don't need it," Owen emphasized once again.

"Okay," she said, in the hope that it would appease him.

He smiled, unaware that his little girlfriend had just lied to him. "Let's order, shall we?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Two weeks later<em>**

These drives to Northampton were tiring especially when he had to drive the night before his day off, Owen thought, but Cristina was always worth it. As he arrived to Talbot House, he noticed her parked car, so he assumed she was there. He always picked her up when he arrived and they would spend the night together in the hotel. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Cristina's friend, Eileen.

"Good night, Eileen. Can you go get Cristina for me?" he asked.

"Oh, Cristina isn't here," Eileen said

"But her car is here," he said, as he pointed to the white BMW convertible in its parking spot.

"No, she's doing some extra lab work, right now. Her Chem professor's assistant, Tom, came by and picked her up about three hours ago," Eileen said.

"Really?" he asked, trying to keep it together, "where are they now?"

"Probably in the Chem lab in the Science building," Eileen said, as she gave him detailed directions on how to get there.

He was angry that she had lied to him. "Doesn't she know that I am trying to protect her?" he thought. He pulled up in front of the building and literally ran in to find the Chem lab. As he looked through the glass window on the door, there was Cristina and Tom, who for some reason, had his hand on Cristina's back and was stroking it.

He opened the door and yelled, "Get your hands off of her." Tom, rather surprised, quickly removed the offending limb off Cristina's body.

"Oh, crap," Cristina thought. She had hoped that she could finish the lab experiments before Owen had made it into town.

"What are you doing, Cristina? I thought I told you that you didn't need to do this extra lab work. I thought we discussed this," Owen said.

"Um," Cristina said. "Well, I thought it wouldn't hurt to do it."

"And you, Tom, why are you being so accommodating to Cristina? Taking precious time out of your workday so you can set up the lab for her. Staying late so that you can help her. Why is it that she is the only student that you seem to be helping? I am sure that there are other students, willing to do the extra credit labs. This is a huge empty lab and you're the only two people here," Owen said.

Tom tried to stammer out a reply.

"Oh, come on, Tom. We both know that the reason you're being sooooo helpful is that you want to get into her pants," Owen spat out.

"Owen!" Cristina admonished.

"Tell her the truth, Tom," Owen yelled.

"I think I should be going," Tom said and beat a hasty retreat out of the lab. That redhead was as fiery as his hair.

"Cristina, why did you do this? Especially since you told me that you weren't going to do it. Did you lie to my face?" Owen asked.

"Oh, come on, Owen. You know how important my grades are to me, especially if I am going to go to medical school. Extra points could never hurt," she said.

"Yes, but those extra points come at a price, Cristina. The man was trying to get you into his bed," he said.

"Even if that was true, I can handle myself," she said, defiantly.

"Oh, is that so? You don't know much about the predatory nature of some men, Cristina. You've lived a very sheltered life. You're 18 years old and you've only been with one man in your life," he said.

"So just because I have had only one lover, that makes me unable to handle this. Is that what you're trying to say? Well, we can fix that situation right now.

"There are quite a few men, who are still awaiting a third date from me. I am sure that some of them would like to get all touchy-feely with me. Maybe I will call Jeremy, he always wanted to do me. It should be easier, now that I am no longer a virgin," she said, taking out her phone out of her pocket and starting to dial.

He could not believe the words coming out of her mouth. Upset and angry, he wrenched the phone out of her hand and flung it across the room.

At that moment, the door opened and a security guard popped in his head. "Is everything alright in here? I heard loud voices."

"It's okay, Mr. Donaldson," Cristina said. "I am just going to clear up this equipment and I am going to be out of here in 10 minutes."

As the security guard left, Cristina silently cleared all the beakers, test tubes and chemicals and replaced them in their proper places. She packed her books into her bag, retrieved her phone, which seemed undamaged and left the room, without even taking a second look at Owen. He followed her out of the building and got into the car, waiting for her to get in. She walked past the car and defiantly, held her head in the air. She was going to get back to the dorm, without his help.

Owen started the car and drove alongside her. If she wasn't going to get in the car, he was going to make sure that she got home, safely. Cristina's book bag was too heavy for her small frame but she was not going to let him know that. It was perhaps inevitable that she finally toppled over from the weight.

"Cristina, get in the car," Owen said. She looked at him, got up, dusted off her jeans and continued walking. This girl was incredibly stubborn, Owen thought.

By the time she made it back to the dorm, her back was aching from her heavy book bag. He watched her as she entered the front door. It was only then he drove to his hotel for the night.

As he lay on his bed that night, he rang her number. He was hoping that she would answer but he was not surprised when it went to voice mail. He tried the number eight times before he gave up.

Back at Talbot House, Cristina was crying on her bed with her face buried in the pillows. Eileen was distressed to see her like this. "Cristina, do you want to talk?" she asked. She was answered by a loud wail. Cristina's phone kept ringing and ringing. Eileen checked the phone and told her it was Owen. Cristina shook her head, vigorously and continued weeping.

Neither Owen nor Cristina could sleep that night. It was their first big fight ever in their relationship. And it was unsettling.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Owen got up and headed to Talbot House. He was surprised to see Cristina outside, dressed and waiting for him. She silently got in the car. He drove until they found a quiet spot in a park.<p>

"You know how to push my buttons, Cristina. There is nothing that upsets me more than the thought of you with another man. And you know that. It's like the blood rushes to my head and I see red. And to have you say so casually that you're going to have sex with some guy, that really hurt me. I don't see what we do as just sex. I think of it as making love. It is what I feel for you. Don't you see that?" Owen said, staring at her.

Cristina answered, "Do you really think that I am naïve?"

Owen thought about it before he answered, "I know you are very smart and academically brilliant. But let's be honest, you have led a very sheltered life. There are a lot of guys out there, who do take advantage of young girls, preying on their emotions and using them. I am a man; I could tell what Tom wanted from you from his body language."

"Also, think about it. How well do you know Tom? You're alone with him, late at night in a building that is practically empty. It could have led to a compromising position and how were you going to get out of it. Truthfully, you are not the most physically imposing person around, Cristina," he said.

"Okay, I understand where you're coming from. I don't know what Tom wanted from me. Seriously, all I wanted to do was to get that extra credit. Now, I don't think that I am going to get it, now, given what went down, last night. Tom will not be feeling too charitable to me, after that," she said.

"As I told you before, you don't need it. You are going to ace your finals, just like you have aced everything else," Owen said. "And Cristina, I apologize for throwing your phone. It was the heat of the moment."

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she said. "I'm blinded by my lust for my 4.0 GPA."

"Cristina, I love you. Don't ever lie to me. Please," he told her.

"Okay. I love you, too. So, um, can we have great make-up sex today? I missed being with you last night," she said, quietly.

He laughed. "Yeah, great make-up sex is mandatory, today. But first, let's get breakfast. I am starving. I was so upset last night I could not eat."

"Me, too. Favorite place?" she asked.

"Yup, let's go," he agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW. LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6 Her 19th birthday

**A/N: For those of you who found Owen to be a little aggressive in the last chapter, this one is for you. It's a different side of Owen.**

* * *

><p>"Why can't this day be over?" Owen sighed. He and his best friend, Josh were out at the emergency bay, awaiting trauma cases.<p>

"What's the matter? Truck vs. car accident. Trauma patients on the way. This is what we live for, Hunt. Why do you want the day to be over?" Josh asked.

"Because all I can think about is being between my girlfriend's legs," Owen said. "She's driving in tonight."

"Man, you are whipped! Whipped by a teenager," Josh laughed out loud.

"I am not whipped," Owen protested, indignantly.

"You are going to be so miserable when the semester ends and she goes home for the summer," Josh pointed out.

"Going home for the summer? I didn't even think about that. Three months without her?" he said, the realization now dawning on him.

"You count down the days between your days off, so you can see her. What happens when you can't see her at all because she's at some pool party in Beverly Hills?" Josh asked.

"I guess I am going to have to find out what her plans are and see if I can persuade her to stay here," he said.

"Well, good luck with that," Josh said, as an ambulance came screaming around the corner. They both ran to meet the patients.

* * *

><p>He got home a little late. He knew that Cristina was already here because he saw her car in the visitors' space in the parking lot at his apartment building. The apartment was quiet and he saw several different textbooks on his breakfast counter. "Somebody plans on studying while she's here," he thought.<p>

He opened his bedroom door and saw her asleep in his bed, wearing his Harvard t-shirt. Her hair was sprawled across her pillow, framing her delicate face. He went to the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. Naked, he crawled into bed next to her.

He gently tried to coax her awake by showering kisses across her face. He reached under the t-shirt to discover that she was completely nude underneath it. "You little vixen," he thought. "You're waiting for me."

Her eyes fluttered open. "I need you now." He kissed her on her lips. Another kiss. A third kiss. "I've been thinking of you all day." He plunged his fingers into her. "I want you so much." He rubbed her clit with his thumb. "I gotta have you, now. Please."

She responded to his ministrations by shifting her legs apart for him to get better access. He rolled on top of her and pushed her legs up. He entered her with one deep thrust. Being inside of her was all he could think about all day and the pleasure from that first thrust was incredible. There was no gentleness in their sex; it was hard, fast, deep and passionate. Their climax was strong and loud. He wondered if his neighbors heard them.

As they lay in the cool darkness of the room, he said, "I see you brought your books with you."

"Yeah, I have to study. Finals are coming up," she said.

"Cristina, I know the semester is ending in a couple of weeks. I was wondering what are your plans for the summer?" he asked.

"My mom wants to send me on some immersion program in Europe. She tells me that I am starting to lose my ability to converse in foreign languages. So she wants to send me for a month in France, a month in Germany and a month in Italy. The truth is she is just sending me to Europe to get me out of her hair," she said.

"Soooo does this mean that you won't be here at all?" his voice cracked.

"I just told you that what my mom wants me to do. That's not what I am going to do," she said.

"So don't keep me in suspense. What are your plans? I need to know," he said, anxiously.

"I decided that I wanted to graduate in three years, not four years, so I decided to go to school full-time during the summers and take up a heavier course load during the fall and spring semesters. That way, I will get enough credits to graduate in three years and go to medical school after that," she explained.

"So that means you are going to be here during the summer," he said, happily.

"Yeah. Also, my 19th birthday is coming up at the end of the summer and I think I prefer to spend it with you, than strangers in a foreign country," she said.

He smiled. He had some vacation days coming up and he could take them at the time of her birthday, he thought. Maybe they could even go somewhere together. The wheels started turning in his brain.

* * *

><p>"Where can I take my girlfriend for a little vacation at the end of August?" he asked his colleagues at work.<p>

"Depends on how much you want to spend," Josh said.

"The thing is my girlfriend is a little rich girl, has seen and been everywhere already. It's not like I can afford to take her to Rome or Bali or St Barts," Owen said. "I am just a resident."

"Think local. Go to the beach, get out of Boston," Gabby told him. "Cape Cod. Gorgeous beaches. Sailing trips. Bike rides. Sunset walks. Candlelit dinners. Whale-watching. Her in a teeny-weeny bikini."

"That sounds good. It's also her 19th birthday. So I want to make it special, too," Owen said.

"19?" Gabby said. "I can barely remember being 19. Those years are a blur to me, now. Probably too much wild living when I was going to Brown."

"When I was 19," Josh said. "All I could think about which girl I was going to bed next."

"Well, I am certainly glad that Cristina is not the like the two of you. She is a focused student," Owen said.

"Oh, come on, Hunt. Don't tell me you weren't wild when you were 19. Away from home, away from parents, nobody's telling you what to do. Living it up at Northwestern," Josh said.

"I prefer not to dwell on those days," Owen said with a grin. "I am just happy that my girlfriend seems to be an exception. She is taking a full course-load for the summer so she can graduate earlier."

"Man, are you lucky to have such a girlfriend, since you only see her like three times a month," Josh said. "I would go crazy, wondering what she is doing."

"I do go crazy," Owen admitted. "But I can't do anything about it. We live 81 miles away from each other and I can only see her on my days off. It would probably be easier to have a girlfriend in Boston. But Cristina is worth it for me. I love her."

Josh and Gabby were silent because it was rare that their friend would admit something so personal, so publicly. Josh patted Owen on the back. "Good on you, Owen."

* * *

><p>Cristina and Owen's summer were spent, pretty much like how it was during the school term. Owen would go to Northampton or Cristina would go to Boston, on his days off. The only difference was at the end of August, Owen was taking five days off and they were headed to Cape Cod.<p>

He had rented a cottage near the beach, so they could hear the surf at night, while they slept.

When they arrived, Cristina ran out on the sand, spun around and declared, "It's so pretty here, Owen. I love it." They both ran in the cottage, changed into their beachwear, she in a teeny-weeny light blue bikini and he in navy blue board shorts.

"Hey, we're matching," she said, laughing happily. He loved to hear her laugh. He was glad he put aside that money for this vacation and for her birthday presents. Personally, he needed the time off because of the stress of his job but even more than that, he got to spend five whole days with Cristina.

"You know what? We can make love every day for five days," he said. "We have never had that before."

She grinned. "So can I expect to be properly loved, every day?" she teased.

"Yes, baby. Every day," he said, as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and ran to the water.

Their days in Cape Cod were spent swimming, eating, sailing, kayaking, biking, whale-watching and making love. They took long walks every evening on the beach and watched the sun go down before heading back to the cottage. It was the most blissful time they ever had together.

Her birthday was the last night that they were going to spend in Cape Cod. He had been very attentive all that day. He made her breakfast, brought her flowers, took her out to lunch and went shopping. He worked hard in the evening to prepare her dinner and laid out the dining table on the deck with flowers and candles. He had prepared a meal of lobster bisque and shrimp linguine Alfredo, to be topped off by vanilla ice cream for dessert.

He called out to her to join him on the deck. She took his breath away. Her hair was loose and tumbled over her shoulders. She was wearing a beautiful yellow sundress and she wore his necklace with the heart and key pendants.

"So what have you prepared for me tonight, kind sir?" she asked as he pulled out her chair for her to sit down.

"First, my lady, lobster bisque to start the meal," he said as he placed the soup in front of her.

"Ooh, love lobster bisque. My boyfriend has outdone himself, here," she joked.

They both ate their soup in silence, admiring the beach around them.

"And now, for the main course, shrimp linguine Alfredo," he said, bringing out the pasta to the table.

"Oh, it is a total seafood night. Whoohoo!" she said, as she dove into the pasta. She had a very healthy appetite for someone so small, Owen noted. She always out ate him, whenever they went out and he wondered where did the food go. She must have the metabolism of a humming bird, he thought.

He watched her empty her plate and take a second helping. It always made him smile to see how much she ate. After polishing that off, she asked about dessert. He brought out the ice cream for her and the way she used her tongue to lick her spoon was a major turn-on. "Keep it in your pants, Hunt, you still have to give her the birthday presents," he told himself.

She finished off her ice cream and looked at him with shining eyes. "Presents, Dr Hunt? You know I love presents."

He grinned and put two small boxes on the table. "There are two presents here. One is your birthday present and the other is a present of a different kind. You may or may not want to accept the second present."

She was puzzled. "O-kay, I guess!" she said.

She opened the first box he pushed towards her. It was a pair of diamond earring studs in the shape of hearts. "Those are to match the diamond heart pendant you already have."

"They are so cute. I love them," as she put them on her ears. "How do they look?"

"Pretty, babe. Here is the second one. Just open it and I will explain it," he said, a little nervous.

She opened the second box and found a sterling silver twisted ring with three small diamonds.

"Cristina, this is a promise ring. I can't afford to get you a real big engagement ring as yet but someday, I will. This is my promise that I will do that. It may not be any time soon because I have to finish my residency and fellowship. But it is my hope that someday, we will get married," he said.

She gasped.

"I don't want to pressure you so you don't have to accept it, if you don't want to. If you're not ready for it, that's okay," he said.

She took the ring out of its box and put it out on her left ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

"So does that mean you accept the ring?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, and she ran across the other side of the table and sat down on his lap and kissed him, deeply.

He carried her into the cottage and laid her on the bed. "I love you, Cristina," he said. She said, "I love you, Owen." Maybe it was the promise that they had made to each other, but there was a difference to their lovemaking that night. Somehow, they felt closer to each other.

As she fell asleep that night, he looked at her small hand with the ring on it. He took her hand and gently kissed it.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews are appreciated. Thank you in advance.**


	7. Chapter 7 Beth

**A/N: With regards to my last chapter, did no one notice that Cristina was wearing a light blue bikini and Owen was wearing navy blue board shorts? I used the color of their scrubs.**

* * *

><p>Owen knocked on Josh's apartment door. He nodded encouragingly to Cristina, as they waited. She had not been too enthusiastic about going to Josh's party.<p>

Josh was having his once-a-year blowout party and he had invited Owen to it; Cristina was Owen's plus one.

Josh, drink in hand, opened the door and invited them in. "Welcome, and this little lady is Cristina, I assume," he said, looking at Cristina, as she held on to Owen's hand. "Pleased to meet you," as he kissed her on the cheek. "Gabby was right," Josh thought. "This girl looks way young."

"You do have non-alcoholic drinks here?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, we've got Coca Cola, Mountain Dew, Pepsi," Josh confirmed. "Why don't you grab a beer and get a Coke for her?"

Cristina looked around and there was no one near her age. Everyone was older than 26. Who could she talk to? She wished Eileen were here so she could have someone with whom she could have something in common. She doubted any of these older people would want to talk about the things she knew about. These were all people with jobs, apartments and paychecks. She went to school, lived in a dorm and got an allowance from her parents.

Owen came back with a Coke and handed it to her. "You look a little lost."

"I realized that there was nobody here I could talk to," she said.

"You can talk to me," he said. "I can be very entertaining, you know."

"But I don't want you to have to stay with me all night. That would be pathetic. These are your friends; you should mingle and socialize. I will be alright," she said, as she decided she would disappear in one of the rooms and read a book. "I'll go and read somewhere quietly."

"You're sure?" he asked. She nodded. She took her drink and disappeared into the study.

Owen was starting to have a really good time, chatting with friends. It was great to have fun with them in an atmosphere that was not the hospital. He looked around for Cristina, worried that she was feeling neglected but she was nowhere to be seen. It was then someone covered his eyes with her hands and said, "Guess who?"

He had not heard that voice in years, ever since he had left Northwestern and gone to Harvard for medical school. It was Beth, his college girlfriend, who had returned to Seattle to become a teacher.

"Beth," he said, taking her hands off his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in town, I called up Josh and he told he was having a party and I should drop by. Since I don't have any contact number for you, I called him up," she said, surveying him up and down, reminding herself of how she used to be with this man.

He turned around and looked at her. "You're looking well, Beth."

"And you look so handsome, lover. I completely forgot how hot you are," she said, appreciatively. It was at this point that Beth suddenly took Owen's face into her hands and laid on him a full-bodied kiss on his lips. Owen was shocked at Beth's bold action and was slow to react to it.

At the same time, Cristina emerged from the study to get a drink refill and was horrified to see Owen kissing some blonde woman. Her rosebud mouth opened in shock and her eyes began to well up with tears. She felt hurt and humiliated. How could he do that to her? Especially in front all of his friends. She had to get out there now. She made a quick escape out of the front door, her body shaking as she sobbed.

If Cristina had stayed, she would have seen him remove Beth's hands from his face and push her away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Beth?" he asked, brusquely.

"I'm only in town for one night and I thought we could rekindle the old flames. I have missed you over the years," she said.

"Well, the feeling is not mutual. I am with someone now and I love her a great deal," he said.

"Where is she? As far as I can see, you seem to be alone," Beth said, looking around.

"She's in the study, reading a book," Owen said, aware of how lame that sounded.

"Does she really exist, Owen? Or are you just trying to get rid of me like you did six years ago?" Beth said, her voice breaking.

"I told you then that it didn't make sense to be together when you were going back to Seattle and I was heading to med school at Harvard. That was true but it was also because I didn't think we had a future together. We weren't right for each other, Beth. I didn't want to hurt you then but that was the real reason I broke up with you," Owen said.

"Well, thank you for the great welcome," Beth said, sarcastically. Hurt, she went to the bar to get a drink to drown her sorrows.

Owen decided that maybe it was time to check on Cristina in the study. The book was still open on the desk, indicating where she had stopped reading. But she was nowhere in sight.

He started to look around the party. She was not on the balcony, in the kitchen, in the bathroom or the bedroom. He started to panic. He then started asking around if anyone had seen a small Asian girl with long, curly hair. One of the guys piped up that he saw the girl leave.

He ran down to the parking lot and her car was gone. He called her number and it rang a few times, before going straight to voice mail. He tried again, still no answer. He knew that the only reason that Cristina chose to disappear was because she saw Beth kissing him.

Cristina, meanwhile, had checked herself into a hotel that night. She could not stop crying. The hotel front desk clerk asked her if she was alright. She nodded, with tears streaming down her face. She had put her phone on silent, and could see Owen's name pop up on the screen every few minutes, so she switched it off. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling and hoping for the sleep that did not come.

Owen caught a taxi and went back to his apartment. It was futile calling Cristina's phone because she had obviously switched it off, since his calls were going straight to voice mail. He was worried about her but he just did not know where she could be. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and hoping for the sleep that did not come.

* * *

><p>The next day, Cristina changed her phone number. She decided to stay in Boston for the morning to do a little bit of mindless retail shopping therapy before driving back to school. Generally, the more depressed she was, the more stuff she would buy. She ended up spending $2,500 on clothes and shoes, charging everything on her credit card, knowing full well that her step-dad would have a fit, when he saw the bill. She didn't care because she was that depressed.<p>

She needed something to take her mind off of Owen. It hurt too much to think about him. Maybe all of the times that she didn't see him during the month, he was with _that woman_, she thought. It was the ultimate betrayal. She sat down on a bench in the middle of the mall, surrounded by shopping bags, and started to cry again.

Owen, in the meantime, was trying to call her again, only to discover that her phone had been disconnected. Cristina had cut him off from contacting her. He called Talbot House to find out if Cristina had gone back to school but was told that she had not yet come back from Boston. He called several times to be told the same message. Eventually, at night, he called again and this time, the message was different. She had returned but was not accepting any calls from him. His only consolation was that she was safe.

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><p>He went to work with a heavy heart.<p>

"Hey Hunt," Josh called out. "That was some party last night. You disappeared early."

Owen looked at Josh and shook his head, "Josh, why did you invite Beth to the party when you knew I was bringing Cristina?"

"She called me, sounding so forlorn, saying that she was in Boston for one night and wanted to catch up with old friends. I told her I was throwing a party that night and she asked if she could come," Josh said. "I felt bad to say no."

"You know how crazy she behaved when I broke up with her six years ago!" Owen said.

Josh replied, "Well, I thought she would have gotten over that by now. I mean she was cuckoo back then because she thought you were the one and then you broke up with her."

Owen shook his head, "She came up to me last night and gave me a full-on kiss on the mouth."

"You're joking! The chick still has it bad for you," Josh said.

"That was not even the worst part. I am pretty sure that Cristina saw it and she has now disappeared on me. She got in her car and just drove off. She even changed her phone number on me. She has just cut me off and it is not even my fault," Owen said.

"Well, you gotta go out there and make things right," Josh encouraged.

"I can't, not until my next day off. We are already short-staffed and there is no way Rogers will give me any time off to go chasing after my girlfriend," Owen sighed.

"That's tough. So what are you going to do?" Josh asked.

"I am going to keep calling the house every day. I already sent her a couple of emails, trying to explain what happened. My only hope is that she reads them," Owen said, distraught at his situation.

"I'm really sorry, Owen. If I had known that would happen, I would never have said yes to Beth," Josh apologized.

"I just have to be able to clear up this mess with Cristina, if it's the last thing I do," Owen said.

* * *

><p>Ten days later after many futile calls to the Talbot House and no answers to his emails, Owen finally drove down to Northampton to salvage his relationship. He knocked on the door and a brunette girl answered the door.<p>

"Can I help you?" she said.

"Yes, I would like to speak to Cristina," he said.

"Oh, it's you. I was advised that if a tall, red-headed man came and asked for Cristina, I am to tell him that she is not here," the brunette said.

The girl made no effort to hide that she was lying.

"Well, then, can I speak to Eileen?" he asked.

"There have been no instructions from Eileen, so I will call her," the girl said. Owen waited on the porch until Eileen showed up.

"Hey, Dr Hunt," Eileen said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Hello, Eileen. I know Cristina is here. Did she tell you what happened?" he asked.

"Actually, no. She came back here, weeping and saying that the worst thing had happened. That she was betrayed and humiliated and it hurt too much to talk about it," she said. "Everyday, she cries but she doesn't want to talk about it."

"I think Cristina misinterpreted something that happened at a party," he said. "I need to explain it to her but she won't talk to me. She won't answer my emails. She changed her phone number."

"She deletes all your emails as soon as they show up in her inbox, so she hasn't read any of them," Eileen confirmed to him. "I've always thought you were a good guy, so I am going to help you out. You have to act fast because she already got a date for next week and I don't want to see her start her serial dating ways again."

She took out her phone from her pants pocket. "Use my phone to call Cristina. She'll think it's me and she'll answer."

"Thank you, Eileen. This is much appreciated," he said, as he scrolled down to Cristina's name in the contacts and hit the dial button.

Cristina answered after two rings, "Eileen, I hope you got rid of that two-timing creep," he heard her voice say.

"Cristina, it's me. Please don't hang up. I need to explain to you what happened," he said.

"What is there to explain? You had your lips on some blonde skank," she shrieked.

"It is not what it looked like. Cristina, I need to see you. If you don't come down from your room, I am going to create a scene here and I know how you hate scenes," he said.

"Aaargh!" she screamed. "I will come down now. Do not create a scene and embarrass me in front of everybody."

Owen handed Eileen back her phone and awaited Cristina's arrival on to the front porch. She gave Eileen a glare as they passed each other.

"Okay, I am here. Talk," she said.

"That blonde woman was my ex-girlfriend from college, Beth. I didn't know she was going to be there. She wanted to rekindle things with me and she kissed me. I did not kiss her," he said.

"I pushed her away and I told that I was with someone that I love very much. You know that I love you," he continued.

"The thing is you didn't even give me a chance to explain. You just disappeared. You didn't answer your phone, you changed your number, you didn't take any of my calls and you didn't read my emails. You cut me off completely so I couldn't contact you.

"And now I hear that you have a date for next week. Am I so easy for you to forget? I made a promise to you and you accepted the ring. Didn't it mean anything to you? You could have given me the opportunity to explain myself. At least I deserve that," he said.

Cristina was staring at the ground, as she listened to him. Had she been wrong? She looked up at him, "I was extremely hurt when I saw you kissing her. Or her kissing you. Whatever it was, it hurt me to the core."

"Yes, I understand how you feel. But you never gave me the chance to explain. I gave you a promise that someday, I would marry you. That's a promise I have never given to anyone else, and certainly not to Beth," he said.

Cristina sighed. She had just gone through 10 of the worst days of her life. All that crying and sleepless nights had been for nothing.

"I'm sorry," she said, softly and took his hand into her small hand.

He pulled her towards him and enveloped her into a bear hug. "Cristina, I would not cheat on you." He sat down on a bench and pulled her on to his lap, as he rocked her gently.

She said, quietly, "I guess I have to cancel that date."

He looked at her, "Yes, I believe so."

They sat there in silence. After five minutes, he asked, "Can we go to the hotel?"

She looked up at him, knowingly, "Hmmm. Is it because you want to have sex with me?"

"I have no problems in admitting that. Because if we do it here, everyone will be totally scandalized," he said.

She grinned and got up. "I'll go pack my overnight bag," she said.

As she disappeared into the house, Owen breathed a sigh of relief. His nightmare was over.

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><p><strong>AN: As always, please leave a review. Feedback gives me the incentive to write.**


	8. Chapter 8 A major oops

He woke up with a start when his phone rang. It was Cristina.

"Hi babe," he said. "This is unusual of you to call me so early in the morning. Not that I mind, of course. I will talk to you anytime."

"Um, Owen, I think we may have a problem," she said, cautiously.

"What?" he asked, now concerned.

"Well, you know how we broke up," she started.

"May I remind you that we did not break up? As far as I was concerned, I was still in a relationship," he said.

"Well, whatever, we weren't together, so I stopped taking the pill because I didn't think I was going to have sex anytime soon. And then you came to the house and we talked and then we went back to the hotel and we had sex," she said. "I forgot to tell you to use a condom."

"So, are you telling me that there is a possibility we could be pregnant?" he said, alarmed.

"Well, I've been waiting and waiting for my period and it just won't come. I am a little worried. Maybe I am reading too much into it and nothing has happened," she said. "I shouldn't have bothered you with it, until I know something. Forget about it."

"No, I can't forget about it. If you're in trouble, then we are both in trouble," he said.

"Well, I got an early morning class. I will talk to you later," she said.

Owen was now fully awake. "What are we going to do if she is pregnant?" he said aloud, even though he was the only one there.

The thoughts came rushing through his head, "She's only 19 years old and only in her second year of college. I am now in my third year of residency and I still have two years to go again plus my fellowship. I can barely support myself, let alone a girlfriend and a baby."

"Then, what if her parents get so mad that they cut her off, if we decide to have this baby? She won't be able to finish school and she definitely won't be able to go to medical school," he thought.

"This could be a real nightmare," he thought.

But then he thought about the baby. A little baby, a mixture of them both. How cute could that baby be? He shook his head, as images of a half Asian/half Caucasian baby ran through his mind. That had to be the cutest baby in the world, he thought. He tried to shake the images out of his mind. "I cannot romanticize this," he warned himself.

He got up, brushed his teeth and got dressed for work. As he drove to work, all he could think about was what they were going to do.

When he arrived at work, he didn't even hear his friends greeting him, he was so caught up in his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Back at Smith, Cristina was in her classroom, not listening to the professor drone on about chemical formulas. "How could I be so stupid?" she thought, "How could I have forgotten to tell him to use a condom? What if I am pregnant? What the hell am I going to do?"<p>

"Mother is going to be so mad," she thought. "I can just hear her, telling me that there was a reason she sent me to a women's college, so I wouldn't get in trouble and here I am, in trouble. Maybe I am not in trouble. I don't know as yet, if I am in trouble. Oh, God, what if I am in big trouble?"

At the end of her classes, she hurried to an off-campus pharmacy, so nobody could see her buying the pregnancy tests. She bought three different kinds, tossed them in the back of her car, and headed to Boston. She drove like if she were on automatic pilot. If she were pregnant, she would prefer to know with Owen, rather than by herself. At least, he would be able to help her decide what to do.

* * *

><p>Owen was absent-minded all day. His boss yelled at him a couple of times and told him to get his head together. It was like if he was there but not there.<p>

"What is up with you, man?" Josh asked. "Rogers is going to have a fit if you keep this up. You're the best trauma resident here and you're acting like if you're a first year intern. You're all thumbs today."

"I've got something on my mind, Josh," Owen said.

"Oh, I get it. Something is wrong in Cristina World. That's the only thing that affects you like this. Did she break up with you again? I know you love the girl, but maybe it is time to date someone your own age, Owen. She is still a teenager and might be a little immature," Josh said.

"Oh, tell me how you really feel, Josh. No, she didn't break up with me," he said. He pondered whether to tell Josh as it really was bothering him and he needed to share it with somebody.

"There is a possibility that she might be pregnant," Owen said, quietly.

"What? What? You're a doctor, dude. How could that possibly happen? Are you sure?" Josh's voice got a little louder.

"Keep your voice down, Josh. We're not sure as yet. We have to take a test," he said.

"Remember when we were having our problems over the Beth incident and she cut me off.

"Well, Cristina decided to stop taking her birth control pills because she figured that we were over. Then I went charging up there to win her back, which I did. We had intense make-up sex and she forgot to tell me to use a condom."

"Wow. You do have problems. No wonder you've been like this all day. Think positive. She is not pregnant. Say that to yourself," Josh said, encouragingly.

"Not so simple. My mind won't be at ease until we know one way or the other," Owen said.

* * *

><p>Cristina's phone kept ringing. She ignored it a couple of times, until she could do so no more. She pulled off the road to answer it.<p>

"Eileen, why do you keep calling me?" Cristina asked, exasperated.

"Well, we were supposed to meet at the pizza place and you never showed. Where are you and what's up?" Eileen asked.

"I'm headed to Boston right now," Cristina replied.

"But it isn't your boyfriend's day off tomorrow," Eileen said.

"It's a spontaneous trip. I have to see him about something," Cristina said.

"Hmm. It must be important because you have that quiz tomorrow and I thought you would be studying for it," Eileen said.

"That quiz counts for nothing towards the final grade. So it doesn't matter if I miss it," Cristina said.

"But you love quizzes because you like to gloat over everybody else when you get the highest marks," Eileen said. "So what's the deal?"

"Okay, okay. I am going to Boston because there is a possibility I might be pregnant. I have been waiting for my period and it just refuses to come." Cristina said.

"What? I thought you were on the pill," Eileen said.

"Well, remember when I was on the outs with Owen, I stopped taking the pill because I was going to swear off sex. Then he came up and he was so nice and hot and gorgeous and I found him totally irresistible. Well, we had really, really amazing sex afterwards and I forgot to tell him to use a condom," Cristina said.

"What? You are the smartest girl I know. How could you forget?" Eileen yelled.

"Being in the throes of passion is my only excuse, even though I know it is a poor one," Cristina said.

"So what are you going to do, if you're pregnant? Your parents are going to be livid," Eileen said.

"Don't you think I know that? My mom is going to have a cow over this. The only reason she let me go to school out of California is that she thought that I wouldn't get into trouble at a women's college," Cristina said.

"So you're going to take the test with Dr Hunt?" Eileen asked.

"Yeah, I think it would be good to find out together, either way, so we can talk about it and discuss what our options are," Cristina said.

"Okay. Keep me updated. Bye, Cristina and good luck," Eileen said.

"I need all the luck I can get," Cristina said.

She hung up the phone and headed back on the road.

* * *

><p>Owen was nearing the end of his shift when he saw the familiar figure of his girlfriend, coming through the emergency doors. She had a worried expression on her face.<p>

"Hey, what are you doing here? Tomorrow is not my day off, you know," he said.

"Yeah, I know but I thought it would be best if we found out together. And then maybe discuss what we're going to do," she said.

"Yeah, I would like that. I will be off in a little bit and then we could go home and have our discussion," he said. "I'm glad you came up. I have been anxious all day. I am sure that my attending wants to fire me because of how terrible I was today."

"No, he won't fire you. You're the best trauma resident he has. You just had an off day," she reassured him.

Her vote of confidence in him made him smile. He loved this girl, no matter what Josh said about her age and maturity level.

As his shift ended, he grabbed his coat and they headed to the parking lot. They each drove their own car back to his apartment building. As they got to his apartment, he asked if she needed anything to drink.

"Yes, a stiff vodka," she said. He looked at her, unsmiling.

"That was a joke, Owen. Your humor seems to have deserted you. How about some apple juice?" she said, as she made herself comfortable on the sofa.

He took out the apple juice out of the refrigerator and poured out a tall, cool glass, filled with ice, and handed it over to her.

"I need to build up enough liquid in my system so I can pee on three sticks," she said.

"You bought three? Isn't one enough?" he asked.

"I wanted to ensure that there was no room for error," she said.

"Let's talk about this before we take the test. I have been thinking about this all day. So, the worst-case scenario is that we are pregnant. There seem to be more cons to having the baby than terminating the pregnancy," Owen said.

"Terminating is just an awful word. So final and irrevocable," she said.

"I know but we have to be realistic. Neither of us is in a position to ideally take care of this baby. You're only 19 and still have a lot of school ahead of you. Me, I still have four more years of training to go. Also, I work 80 hours a week, not a lot of time available to take care of a baby. Financially, I can barely take care of myself, much less you and the baby.

"And then we have to think about your parents. They wouldn't be too happy about this. What if they cut you off? You would have to go to work part-time and take loans to finish college and medical school. You have never worked a day in your life. Would you be able to handle going to school and working?" he asked.

She looked doubtful, as she recognized the enormity of the situation.

"On the other hand, I keep thinking about this baby. A baby that is part me and part you. Would he or she look like you or me? I keep picturing this baby in my head and how cute it would be. I have always imagined having babies with you. Lots of babies. In the future, just not right now," he added.

She said, "This scares me more than anything else in my life, Owen. Our situation is definitely not ideal. I am not sure if I am prepared."

He said, "If we decide to have this baby, it would involve a lot of sacrifices on both our parts. We have to figure out if we're ready to do that."

She got up. "I think I am ready to do this. Here goes nothing." She headed to the bathroom with her pregnancy kits.

A couple of minutes later, she emerged with the three sticks and placed them on the coffee table. They both stared at the sticks. Then, they looked at each other.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am headed to Miami this week. So I probably won't be able to update until next week because the hotel charges for wifi.** **I will try to write, though, in between tanning sessions and spa appointments. Ha.**


	9. Chapter 9 The frat party

**A/N: Back from Miami, two shades darker, but ready with a chapter. I was waiting for Hurricane Irene but she never came. Sorry to the folks up north who had to endure her wrath.**

* * *

><p>"Holy crap," Owen yelled. "What a relief!" He stared at the sticks, all indicating that Cristina was not pregnant.<p>

Cristina started to laugh in total glee. "Let's go celebrate. Let's get something to eat."

"Most people celebrate when they're having a baby. We're celebrating that we're not. How ironic," Owen said. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. "I really want to have babies with you, Cristina but 10 years from now."

"Plus the best thing is that I won't have to tell my mom about you," she said.

He put her down. "What? Wait a minute. Your parents don't know about me? We have been together for more than a year. Don't you think that it is time they knew about me?"

"Are you kidding? I can't tell my mom that I am dating a 27-year-old. She would have a conniption. If she knew that, she would fly up here and drag me back to California," she said. "The only reason that she let me go to school out of state is because I was going to a women's college. Frankly, I think she believes that I am still a virgin."

"I find this all very disturbing, Cristina. I don't want to be a secret from your parents," he asked.

"The thing is if I don't let them know about you then they will let me stay here. If they knew about you, they will just take me away. We don't want that, do we?" she said, sweetly.

"I still don't feel good about it because it almost makes me feel like I am some crazy old uncle that people have to lock up in the attic because he's an embarrassment," he said.

"Listen, I want to be with you and if my parents not knowing about you, allows me to be with you, then I can live with that. Come on, let's go and eat," she said.

"Okay," he said, "But we're going to have to talk about this again, some time."

They grabbed their coats and headed out the door and decided to walk to one of the nearby restaurants that were close to his apartment. The night was cool and comfortable and he held her hand, as they walked down through the neighborhood.

"What do you think? Indian, Thai, Japanese? What do you feel for tonight?" he asked her. Cristina clearly was not listening as she suddenly released his hand and took off like a rocket, running down the streets.

"Cristina, what?" he said as he watched her take a flying leap into a tall young man's arms. The young man swung her around in the air. This had to be someone special, he surmised immediately.

Cristina rarely welcomed the touch of people, especially strangers. As far as he knew, he was the only person who was allowed to freely touch Cristina. "Who was this guy?" he thought.

He caught up to the hugging twosome. "Cristina?" he said, with an enquiring look. The young man put Cristina back on the ground, as he surveyed the arrival of this new stranger.

"Oh, Owen, this is Jamie O' Reilly, my next door neighbor from back home. We grew up together our entire lives. We went to the same schools and he was my protector throughout school. Jamie, this is Dr. Owen Hunt." Cristina said.

Owen waited for Cristina to finish her sentence to explain who he was but since it did not seem that it was forthcoming, he finally said, "I'm her boyfriend."

Jamie put out his hand to shake Owen's but it was accompanied by an incredulous look. Owen knew that look. He had seen it on many a stranger's face before. It was the look that said, "Aren't you a little old for her?"

"I am James," the young man said. "Only Cristina calls me Jamie. The name kind of sticks with you when you meet someone when you're three years old."

"Jamie, I haven't seen you like in over a year," Cristina said, her eyes shining.

"Well, if you had come home for the summer, we would have caught up with each other. We hung out at the Malibu beach house, and we went surfing. We even had a bonfire night. It was just like old times," Jamie told her.

"So, James," Owen asked. "What are you doing in Boston?"

"Oh, I go to school at MIT. I am doing a degree in computer engineering. Cristina, you could come and check me in Cambridge some time. I will give you a tour of the campus," Jamie said.

Owen observed the adoring look that Cristina was openly giving this boy. He looked to be about 19, with longish, blondish-brown hair and clear blue eyes and an envious golden tan. He looked to be the typical California surfer boy. He had this sudden vision of a golden Jamie, running along the sandy beach with his surfboard and a small, laughing, dark-haired girl trailing behind him. He shook the image from his brain.

"I really would like that, Jamie. We need to catch up," Cristina said. "Let's exchange numbers." Owen watched as they saved each other's numbers into their respective phones.

"Well, James, we're going to grab some dinner. Would you like to join us?" Owen asked, politely. In his mind, he kept thinking, "please say no."

"Yes, Jamie, come join us," Cristina said, excitedly.

"I wish I could but I have to get back to school to finish a project I have due tomorrow. I will take a raincheck on that," Jamie declined politely. He turned to Cristina, "Okay, Pumpkin, it has been great to see you. I have missed you terribly. Call me whenever you're ready for that tour." He kissed her on the forehead, as he turned away and left.

"Pumpkin?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, some names stick with you when you meet someone when you're three years old," Cristina said. "So where are we going, now?"

"Let's do some Thai, today," he said, as he again took her hand and led her into the restaurant.

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><p>He was updating his charts at the nurses' station when someone slapped him on his back. "Hunt, how are you, man?"<p>

"Doing alright, Josh. Where have you been? I have been holding the fort for most of the morning by myself," Owen turned and looked at Josh.

"Asked Rogers for a little bit of time off. I went down to Cambridge to the old stomping ground at Harvard to visit Dr. Jenkins. He hasn't been feeling too well," Josh said.

"So how is the old guy doing?" Owen asked.

"Not too bad, considering that he turned 70 last week," Josh said. "I really enjoyed his class."

He continued, "Guess who I saw in Cambridge this morning?"

"I am not going to play that game with you. Just tell me who you saw," Owen said, a little bit exasperated.

"You are absolutely no fun. I saw your little girlfriend," Josh answered.

"Cristina? It can't be her. Why would she be in Cambridge?" he said. "You must be mistaken. If she was near Boston, she would have come and see me."

"I am not mistaken. I know what your girlfriend looks like. Tiny girl, lots of curly hair, pretty. I met her at my party. She was with a tall, blonde girl and they were hanging out with a couple of MIT guys at that pizza place we used to frequent when we were med students," Josh said.

"Okay, Josh, thanks for telling me," Owen said, more than a little hurt that Cristina and Eileen had been in Cambridge, just three miles from Boston, and had not come to see him at the hospital. He only usually saw her three or four times for the month and he would have grabbed any opportunity to see her more often.

When he called her that night, he wondered whether she would even mention that she had been in Cambridge that day. She answered after three rings, "Hi, Owen. How was your day today?" Her voice sounded light and happy.

"My day was fine, today. Very busy in the ER. Had to hold down the fort for my friend, Josh, who was supposed to be on call with me. He went down to Cambridge to visit one of our old professors. So I was a little swamped today," he said, hoping that the mention of Cambridge would spur her to speak on the matter.

"Oh, I was in Cambridge, today," she said. He felt a little relieved that she openly admitted that she was there.

"Really?" he said.

"Yeah, Eileen and I went on that tour of MIT that Jamie promised me. Sorry we couldn't come in to Boston to see you because Eileen wanted to go back to catch a late class that she had. Otherwise, we would have definitely come by to see you. I always like to see your handsome face," she said.

His heart felt warmed by her response. There had been no clandestine meeting with Jamie, as he had wrongly suspected.

They chatted some more about each other's day and then they said goodnight on a happy note. While Cristina had no problem in admitting that she had been in Cambridge that day, she deliberately omitted telling him about something else.

It was the fact that Jamie had invited her and Eileen to a frat party that Saturday. He told her that she could bring a couple of her friends. So they asked around if anyone was interested and quite a few jumped at the chance to party with some MIT guys.

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><p>Larissa, a 22-year-old senior was going to drive because she had the largest vehicle, which could accommodate seven passengers. That Saturday evening, Cristina and Eileen were headed to Cambridge, along with Larissa, Josie, Kelly, Sharon and Melanie. Cristina was the only teenager among the girls since Eileen had already turned 20 and the rest of the girls were either 21 or 22 years of age.<p>

Before she left the campus, Cristina decided to call Owen in a sort of pre-emptive strike. She called him before he called her, as he usually did every night. She told him that she and Eileen were headed to a party. It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong, she reasoned, she just left out some of the details because she knew that he was not going to like that she was going to a frat party. He told her to have a great time before they said goodbye for the night.

She told herself, "I'm young, I can party if I want," as she stepped into the frat house with the other girls. The party was already in full swing, when the girls arrived. The frat guys lit up when they saw all of the pretty Smith girls amongst their midst. Many alcoholic beverages were offered to the young ladies but only Cristina declined. Even Eileen took a drink or two, under Cristina`s disapproving eye. Cristina`s plan was to stay stone cold sober because as she had explained to Eileen, "I would like to know what I am doing, who I am doing it with and whether I should be doing it."

"Oh, come on, Cristina, live a little," Eileen said, as she took a swig from her beer bottle. The other girls were clearly following suit, as they each had a beer bottle in their hands. They were all have a really good time, since as girls going to a women's college, there wasn't that much opportunity for that much hot, male companionship on a daily basis. Cristina was enjoying herself but she felt she would have had a better time if she weren't missing Owen so much. The other girls were interested in meeting new guys but Cristina already had a guy and she just wished he were there with her.

Jamie came up to her and kissed her on the forehead, "Hey, Pumpkin, are you having a good time?" She nodded because it wasn't really a lie.

"Just let me know if you need anything. I gotta go; I am one of the hosts of this shindig," he said, as he disappeared through the thick crowd.

As the hours wore on, it seemed that the girls were getting more than tipsy. Kelly was making out with some guy she just had met. Josie and Melanie were laughing rather loudly with a bunch of guys. Sharon was passed out on a couch. Eileen had stopped drinking after puking in the bathroom and was only on water for the rest of the night. Larissa was dancing on a table. "What a nightmare," Cristina thought, glad that she had not imbibed on any of the beer. She realized that she was probably the only one in the party that was as sober as a judge.

It was 3 a.m. when the girls decided to leave. Cristina asked Larissa, "Are you okay to drive?"

Larissa laughed, "Of course I am. You are such a stick in the mud, Cristina. Hey girls, let's go downtown Boston to grab some food." The girls all whooped in agreement.

As they piled into the car, Cristina asked Larissa again if she was able to drive. Larissa, who outweighed Cristina by some 50 pounds, looked down at the smaller girl and gave her a stinging glare. "Cristina, if you're going to complain one more time, maybe it is best that you find your way back to Northampton on your own."

Cristina stood silently, as she weighed her options. She could call Owen but then he would find out she went to the frat party. She figured that if she went with the girls, Larissa would have enough food in her stomach, so she could make that drive back to Northampton.

Eileen called out to her from the back seat, "Come on, Cristina, she'll be alright."

Against her better judgement, Cristina climbed into the car and the girls headed to Boston. They made it to downtown and the girls were debating where they should go. The conversation got increasingly argumentative as they each loudly commented on the virtues of their favorite type of food. Maybe because the conversation became so heated that nobody noticed that Larissa had run a red light. Nobody even saw when the large pick-up truck slammed right into the middle of their SUV and sent them spinning like a top into the intersection.

As the truck smashed into their SUV, Cristina felt the weight of Eileen crushing her against the door and her head smashing against the window. She could feel the blood trickling down the side of her head, before she lost all consciousness.

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><p><strong>AN: Seriously, I couldn't have Cristina pregnant because it would have seriously messed up their lives.**

**PLEASE REVIEW. REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED. THEY ARE THE ONLY REASON I CONTINUE.**


	10. Chapter 10 Surgery

**A/N: Please no grief on any medical mistakes on my part.**

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><p>The entire ER unit was outside, awaiting the ambulances. Word had come in that there were eight accident victims on the way. Trauma surgeons lived for nights like these.<p>

"And you thought that it was going to be a slow night," Josh told Owen. Head of trauma, Dr Rogers was also out there with them, as well as Gabby and nine other doctors. The unit was ready to spring into action.

The first ambulance came screaming around the corner. Gabby rushed to meet it, as the paramedic brought out the first victim. Owen caught sight of the blonde hair and the familiar face. The paramedic started, "Eileen Granderson, age 20, broken leg, broken arm and possible internal injuries."

Owen ran to the ambulance, "Eileen, was Cristina with you?" Eileen's eyes focused to make out the face of Dr. Hunt.

"Dr. Hunt?" she asked.

"Yes, it's me. I know you're feeling terrible, Eileen, but you have to tell me. Was Cristina with you?" he asked, desperately.

"Yes," Eileen said, weakly. "She was sitting next to me."

"We've got to take her in, Owen," Gabby said, as she raced her patient into the ER.

Another ambulance came screaming in, followed by another, and then another. He listened to the names of the patients, as the paramedics announced who they were. First, Josie Charles, age 21, Larissa Thompson, age 22, Melanie Jones, age 21, Kelly Iverson, age 22, Sharon Cole, age 21 and Jared Burrows, age 35.

"Where the hell was she?" Owen thought. He felt like screaming. The final ambulance screeched around the corner. He ran to it as the paramedic brought out the gurney. "Cristina Yang, age 19, head trauma, possible broken bones and internal injuries."

Owen rushed to Cristina's side, "Baby, baby, it's me."

The paramedic looked at him, "She has been unconscious since they pulled her out of the vehicle. She was the last one that they got out."

Rogers looked across and observed Owen's extremely concerned face. This was no ordinary patient, he gathered.

"Hunt, who is this girl to you?" he asked.

"She's my girlfriend," Owen admitted.

"Then back off. I will take care of her. Do your job and go see about one of the other patients," Rogers ordered him.

"Please…." Owen started.

"You know the rules. You cannot work on someone, who is a family member or a significant other. Do your job, Hunt. There are seven other victims you can help. Trust me, I will take good care of her," Rogers said.

Owen let go of the gurney as Rogers and the paramedic wheeled Cristina into the ER. He ran to check on the other victims. Larissa seemed to be the worst off, since she got the full brunt of the impact on the driver's side. In fact, the two other girls, Kelly and Sharon who were also on the driver's side in the back seats were also in bad shape.

The driver of the truck, Jared Burrows, seemed to be the only one doing well. Other than a deep cut on his forehead, his air bag saved him from any worse injuries. He was talking to the police and Owen heard him say that the white SUV, driven by the girls, had come out of nowhere and he couldn't swerve fast enough and had hit them, square on. He added that his lights were on green, so it appeared that the SUV had broken the red light.

He joined Josh, who was working on Larissa, "They think alcohol was involved. So all of the girls will be tested. How is your girl?" Josh asked.

"Rogers is taking care of her. He won't let me anywhere near her," Owen sounded frustrated.

"Well, you know the rules. If Rogers is working on her, she is in good hands," Josh said. "Help me get this one to surgery. I think they're all going to surgery, tonight. Peters will be the attending on this one."

As they scrubbed in to the surgery, Owen could not help wondering about what was happening with Cristina. "Keep focused, Hunt," Josh advised. "This girl is our patient. Cristina is someone else's. We have to take care of what is right in front of us."

Larissa had numerous injuries and it took a team of doctors to take care of her needs. It was six hours before they got out of there. As soon as he scrubbed out, Owen ran to find what was going on with Cristina. The nurse told him that Cristina had undergone surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain, as well as she had two broken ribs from being crushed against the door. Other than that, she had no other injuries. He was relieved.

He ran to her room. She looked so tiny in her hospital bed. She had a bandage around her head. He touched her face and softly kissed her lips. He held her hand, "Thank God, you're still here."

He grabbed a chair and put it right next to her bed. He put his head on the bed, still holding her hand. Exhausted from working all night, he fell asleep.

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><p>Cristina opened her eyes. Her head ached. She remembered the previous night's events – the party, the accident and nothing after that. She took her hand and touched her head to feel the bandage. Alarmed, she realized they must have shaved off some of her hair to deal with her head injury. "I must look like a freak," she thought.<p>

Someone was holding her hand. She looked down to see the familiar red hair of her boyfriend. She shook her hand to wake him up.

"Hey, baby," he said. "You're up. How are you feeling? Do you want anything?"

"Yeah, some water. My head hurts and my side aches," she said.

"Yeah, you have a head injury and two broken ribs," he said, as he poured some water for her.

"How's everyone?" she asked, fearing the worst. "Eileen?"

"They all went into surgery last night, some worse off than others. So far, they're all still here. Eileen is going to be alright. She has a couple of broken bones and internal injuries, but she is going to be fine," Owen said.

"Thanks," she said. "Aren't you going to ask me?"

"Ask you what?" he was puzzled.

"What we were doing in Boston at three in the morning," she said.

"Yeah but I know you're going to tell me, eventually. I don't want to push you. You told me you were going to a party. I didn't know the party was in the Boston area," he said.

Cristina decided that she might as well come clean. "It wasn't in Boston. It was in Cambridge, we went to a frat party at MIT," she said. "I didn't tell you because I knew you weren't going to be pleased."

"The police think drinking was involved in the accident. Were you all drinking at the party? You know you're under-aged," he said, hoping that it wasn't coming across as an admonishment.

"No, not me. But the other girls were," she said.

"Why did you go into a vehicle, when you knew the driver was drinking?" Owen said, sharply. "You could have been killed."

"I know. It was poor judgment on my part," she said. "I know never to do that again."

"Why didn't you call me?" he said. "I would have come for you."

"I know that," she said, ruefully. "If I had done that, I wouldn't be in the hospital, now."

"Ah, well. We can't change what has already happened," he said. "I am just glad you're going to be alright."

He continued, "Your doctor will probably come and check you today."

"You're not on my case?" she asked.

"No, I am not allowed. Even though we're not related, I can't be on your case because I am emotionally involved with you," he said.

"Hey, I am just going to my apartment to get a change of clothes and get something to eat and I will be right back," he said, as he kissed her. "I am so happy that you're here. I would have died if something happened to you."

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," she said.

He got up, grabbed his stuff from the locker room and drove his way home. He took a bath, grabbed some breakfast and fell asleep, watching the news on television. He was still tired, both emotionally and physically drained from the night's events. It was at least eight hours before he woke up.

"Oh my God, I told Cristina I would be right back, and here it is, already in the evening," he said. He changed his clothes, grabbed an apple and a pear out of the refrigerator, and headed out of his apartment.

He literally ran to Cristina's room. "Baby, I am so sorry. I fell asleep….." His voice trailed off, as he saw Jamie in Cristina's room.

"Hello, James," Owen said, offering his hand.

"Hi, Dr. Hunt," Jamie said, accepting Owen's handshake.

Owen, despite his attempt to be civil, felt a little bit peeved at Jamie. Irrationally, he blamed Jamie that Cristina was in the accident because he was pretty certain that it was Jamie who had invited the girls to the frat party.

"I heard about the accident on the news this morning and I came over, as soon as I could. It would have just killed me if anything had happened to Pumpkin," Jamie said.

Cristina said, "Yeah, Jamie has been with me for a lot of the day. I thought you said you were coming right back, Owen." She looked at him with hurt eyes.

"I am so sorry. I fell asleep and it seems I was very exhausted after last night. Forgive me," he said.

"It's okay. Jamie was here," she said. Another reason to resent Jamie, Owen thought.

"Did your doctor come and check you?" Owen asked.

"Yes, he did. He said I was doing remarkably well. Still have some pain from these broken ribs. Do I look like an idiot with this bandage on my head?" she asked.

"NO!" both Owen and Jamie said at the same time. They looked at each other.

At that moment, the room's three occupants were disturbed by a new visitor. A short Asian woman with impeccable hair, entered the room. "Cristina Yang, I had to cut short my attendance at a fundraising event today to take the redeye from LA to Boston because you managed to get yourself in an accident," she said.

Cristina whimpered, "Mother."

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave reviews. They are always appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 11 Helen's arrival

"Hey, Aunty Helen," Jamie came forward and kissed the woman on her cheek.

Helen Rubenstein, age 40, was smartly-dressed in a lavender Armani suit, as she had come straight from her charity fund-raiser to the airport and on to a plane to Boston. She had her housekeeper pack a suitcase and had it brought to the airport. She hated these rush trips because she didn't get to plan it and she loved to plan everything.

Cristina's arrival into the world had also been an unplanned event. Helen had not expected to be a mother by the time she was 21. Still in college, she and Cristina's dad, Samuel, had got married when she got pregnant. They only did so at the urging of their parents. They both knew that it was a mistake because while they liked each other, they were not in love with each other. They agreed that once they both graduated from college, they would get a divorce. They needed to stay married to ensure that their parents continued to support them during college. While it was not the best of marriages, Samuel turned out to be a wonderful father. His little girl was the light of his life.

After graduation, they filed for divorce, much to the chagrin of their parents. Samuel went to work for his dad's multi-million dollar corporation, while Helen headed to graduate school. Despite her parents' displeasure about her divorce, they continued to pay for Helen's tuition, while Samuel provided more than adequate support for her and Cristina. But Helen wanted more; she needed some extra income to pay for the niceties of life, like her weekly trips to the day spa, or designer clothes that she loved or a weekend getaway to Carmel with her friends.

So she got a receptionist's job at that fancy oral surgeon's office in Beverly Hills. She was 23, when she met Dr Saul Rubenstein, 10 years her senior. A year later, they got married when Cristina was three. Helen had told Saul that she did not want any more children and he acquiesced to her wishes. It didn't matter to him because he loved Cristina like if she was his own.

While Cristina's relationships with both her father and step-father thrived, she always felt like she was stepping on eggshells with her mother. Her mother wanted Cristina to be a demure little girl who would be pretty and pleasant at all of her social gatherings. Cristina tried but she realized it was not who she was. Her mother tried to mold her into the perfect little girl but she rebelled at every turn. Their clashes were legendary, if you asked the servants at their Beverly Hills home.

Cristina excelled at everything she did, whether it was academics, ballet, piano or horse-back riding. But nothing she did was ever good enough for Helen. When Cristina turned 18, she was determined to leave California for college so she chose a school that was not only on the other side of the country but also a women's college so her mother would not have any objections about sending her out-of-state. She figured that if she could be as far away from her mom, there was no way that Helen could interfere in her life.

Apparently, Cristina was mistaken because there was Helen, in her lavender Armani glory, in her hospital room.

"James O' Reilly," Helen said, accepting the kiss from Jamie on her cheek. "Thank you for calling and telling me about Cristina's accident."

Cristina gave Jamie a death glare, which was so vicious that he had to look away. Helen turned to Owen and offered her hand for him to shake. "I am Helen Rubenstein. And you are the doctor on Cristina's case, I assume."

"I'm Dr Owen Hunt. I'm your daughter's…." Owen started but he was sharply interrupted by Cristina, who said, "Yes, mom, he is the doctor on my case." Both Owen and Jamie exchanged surprised glances but neither said anything.

"So how is she doing, Dr Hunt?" Helen asked.

"She is doing well, considering everything. She has a head trauma and two broken ribs but she will be fine," Owen said.

"Good, good. So Cristina, seeing that you are doing so well, what are your plans? Do you want to go back to California with me to recuperate? Or are you going to stay here in Boston? I can only be here today and tomorrow because I have some urgent committee meetings the next day, so if you want to go back to California with me tomorrow night, I need to book your ticket," Helen said.

"It's okay, mom. I think it would be better if I stay here and recuperate," Cristina said. "I will keep you updated on my progress."

"Alright," Helen said, as she turned to Jamie. "So James, how are you doing? I will tell your parents that I saw you and you are looking well. So does your presence here mean that you and Cristina are finally dating, like we had always hoped?"

"Aunty Helen," Jamie was going to say. "I…" He was suddenly taken aback by Cristina grabbing his hand and intertwining her fingers with his.

"Yes, Mother, Jamie and I are a couple," Cristina said. Jamie looked a little incredulous, but it was Owen's hurt expression that tore at Cristina's heart.

Owen could not take any more of this, so he stepped out of the room, muttering that he had to go to the pit.

"Finally!" Helen said. "Seeing that you are okay, Cristina, I am going to check into the Four Seasons and I will come by in the morning."

As they watched Helen leave the room, Jamie turned to Cristina and asked, "What was that all about? And you did that in front of your boyfriend?"

"Come on, Jamie. You know what my mother would do if she found out that I had a 27-year-old boyfriend. I would be on a plane back to Beverly Hills, tonight," Cristina said.

"I know but that was pretty weird to do that in front of your boyfriend," Jamie said. "I don't know if I can keep up this charade."

"Of course you can. You owe me big time. I have kept all of your secrets for the past 16 years, so you can keep mine.

"Remember in high school, where you were dating both Janie Alvarez and Moira Shaw for that two months, and whenever you were with one of them, you used to tell the other one that you were at my house, working on a project.

"Then, when prom came around and you couldn't ask either of them without the other finding out, so you broke up with the two of them and told them that you and I were a couple. Then you made me go to the prom with you even though Jack Thompson had already asked me, so I could cover your lie. So you owe me big time," Cristina said.

"I knew you were going to bring that up," Jamie said. "Okay, I will do this for you but please, don't let your boyfriend beat me up. He's a big guy.

"Anyway, I gotta go, Pumpkin, I really do have a project to finish. I will see you tomorrow, so we can continue being a fake couple." He kissed her on the cheek and left.

As Cristina lay back on the bed, she thought about Owen and how he must be feeling. She was sorry that she had hurt Owen. She hoped that he would come by so she could make amends. With her thoughts still in turmoil, she fell asleep.

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><p>It was late at night when Owen returned to her room. He watched her sleep. She had hurt him really badly when she denied him as her boyfriend in front of her mother. But the hurt was compounded when she passed off her friend as her boyfriend.<p>

It was as if Cristina could sense his presence, she opened her eyes, seeing him, standing at the doorway. She knew there was little she could say that could make him feel better about the situation. She put out her hand for him to come to her and she made room for him in her bed. He got in next to her and she turned to him, and gently kissed his lips.

"I am sorry, babe," she said. "I am sorry I denied you. If my mom found out about us, she will take me away and I don't want to leave you. I love you."

"Would it be so bad if she did find out about me?" he asked, quietly.

"Ha," Cristina said. "You really don't want to find out how the wicked witch of the west operates. She is a force to be reckoned with."

"It just hurts," he said.

"I know. But it will only be until tomorrow night because she will be leaving then. Jamie has agreed to do this for me because he owes me for keeping his secrets through the years," Cristina said.

"As long as he doesn't get too touchy-feely with you," he said. "I'll be watching his every move."

"Oh, he knows. He says he hopes that you won't beat him up," Cristina laughed. "Can you stay with me?"

"Yeah, slow night in the pit. They will page me if they need me," he said.

She snuggled up next to him. "I love you, Owen. Just know that." She closed her eyes and soon went back to sleep. He held her close, until he too, drifted off.

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><p>When Helen Rubenstein returned the next day, she was surprised to see both Dr. Hunt and Jamie in her daughter's room. She expected Jamie to be there but not the doctor. Jamie had a spectacularly brilliant smile for her because Cristina told him that he had to look like the ever-loving boyfriend. To be honest, Helen found his smile to be a little bit creepy as she had never known the boy to smile like that.<p>

"Good morning, Dr. Hunt," Helen said. "And how is she doing today?"

Owen answered, "She is progressing extremely well, Mrs. Rubenstein. We think she will be out of here in a couple of days." Helen nodded, expecting the doctor to leave, but strangely, he seemed to be staying.

"So, James and Cristina, tell me how you all started dating. I spoke to your mother last night, James, and she is totally delighted. She asked me to find how you two got together," Helen said.

Jamie got into Cristina's bed, leaned back and put his arm around her, while he ignored the daggers coming from Owen's eyes. "Well, Aunty Helen, Cristina and I ran into each other, right here in Boston, one night. We hadn't seen each other in over a year, so we hadn't realized how much we missed each other. So we started talking on the phone, every night, and things just started to develop from there." Jamie rubbed Cristina's shoulder, even though he was aware that Owen was watching his every move.

"I see," Helen said. "Well, I am just so glad that you two crazy kids found each other." Helen and James' mother, Daphne had always hoped that their children got together as a couple.

After all, the children had known each other since they were toddlers and they liked and respected each other's families. Of course, it helped that both families were multi-millionaires. It just made everything so much easier, not having to worry about possible gold-diggers coming into the family and taking advantage of their children. Though they were unlikely to admit it, both Helen and Daphne were terrible snobs.

Owen was wondering how much more of this he could take but he was determined to watch all of Jamie's actions. Little did Owen realize that he was also being watched by Helen.

Helen wondered if the doctor had taken a special interest in her daughter's well-being. His expression softened whenever he looked at Cristina. It was clear to Helen that he cared about Cristina. Maybe he is just one of those doctors, who gave their patients special attention, Helen thought. Well, if that was the case, her daughter was lucky to get such personal care. Still, she was a little suspicious of his intentions.

Jamie got up and announced that he had to leave for classes. He kissed Cristina lightly on her lips and Helen on her cheek. He didn't want to look at Owen as he left because he knew that the light brush on Cristina's lips would have the doctor seething.

Owen also took his leave from the room, saying he was going to check on a couple of other patients. As they watched him leave, Helen turned to Cristina, "Do you know that doctor well?"

"Um, I met him in the hospital and he has taken very good care of me," Cristina said, hoping that this conversation would cease.

"Really? He just seems like he knows you," Helen said.

"I don't know. Maybe he just cares about his patients," Cristina said.

"Alright, what would you like to do today?" Helen said. Cristina sighed at the thought of having to spend the whole day with her mom. She decided she was going to be the pleasant girl her mother always wanted her to be, so it would be an easy day for everyone.

When Helen left that evening, Owen came to Cristina's room. "So when are you going to tell your parents about us?"

"When I graduate next year," she said. "I will let them know everything at my graduation."

"You promise?" he said.

She nodded. He got into the bed with her and he held her close. "Do you love me, Cristina?"

"With all of my heart, Owen," she said, as she kissed him.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Your thoughts are appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12 Her 20th birthday

**A/N: There is a little bit of sex in this. I am not very comfortable writing about sex but I do try.**

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><p>It was soon going to be Cristina's 20th birthday, so Owen had planned another vacation getaway. They had such a great time the year before that they were headed back to Cape Cod. Owen loved getting away from downtown Boston and feeling the freedom of the beach. Best of all, he loved sharing it with Cristina.<p>

It had been a tough spring semester and summer session for Cristina as she tried to catch up the classes and time she had lost as she recovered from the accident. She had to work harder than ever to catch up. With sheer determination and an even heavier course load, Cristina was back on track to graduate at the end of her third year.

She had already set in motion her application to Harvard Medical School, which she hoped to attend after graduating next year. She would be closer to Owen, then since Cambridge was only a couple of miles away from Boston and they could see each other every day

She was looking forward to this beach break before the fall semester started. It was always rare to spend five days in a row with Owen and it was going to be great, she thought.

They had rented the same cottage that they had the previous year. Cristina loved it there because it was so close to the ocean and they could hear the waves crash against the shore at night. The sun and sea breezes were such a welcome relief from the city.

They had spent the first two days of their vacation, swimming and sailing. While Cristina got a little tanned, Owen was literally hiding behind SPF 75 sunscreen because as much as he loved the sun, the sun did not love him back. Without sunscreen, he would become a lovely shade of lobster red. They were having a great time.

It was late evening on the third day of their vacation, when Cristina got on the computer to send some pictures to her mom.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just sending some pictures of Cape Cod to my mother. Also, a picture of Jamie and me," she said.

"How do you have a picture of you and Jamie?" he asked. Something always ate at him, whenever he heard the boy's name. He had an irrational dislike of the boy because of the close bond that Cristina and Jamie shared, coming from years of growing up together. Maybe it wasn't dislike but more jealousy because it was clear to Owen that Cristina and Jamie adored each other.

"Oh," she said, casually. "Jamie and I took a whole bunch of pictures around Boston and Cambridge so we could send to our parents. We send one every two weeks. Keeps them off our backs, if they think that we are together."

"Can I see the pictures?" he asked, curious to see them.

"Sure," she said and she turned the computer towards him. He started clicking through the pictures. Most of them were innocuous, just pictures of Jamie and Cristina in front of notable Boston landmarks. He was clicking through until he came across one of them, on a boat on the Charles River.

They were kissing. Owen could only see red.

"What the hell is this?" Owen said, starting to feel his anger build.

"Oh, that was on the Charles River at sunset. Nice shot," Cristina said. "We got a passing rower to take this out for us."

"Are you deliberately trying to ignore the fact that you are kissing in this photo?" Owen said, his voice rising.

"We're not really kissing. Our lips are just touching. And if you look closely, no tongue is involved," Cristina said, realizing that Owen was not amused.

"Whether tongue was involved or not is not the issue, you're kissing," he said, heatedly. "You are kissing another man!"

Cristina looked at the picture; it wasn't a big deal to her because she had kissed Jamie many times in her life, since she had so often pretended to be his girlfriend when he needed to keep other girls at bay. There was no romantic intent behind their kisses.

"I've been exceedingly patient over the months with you and James staging this elaborate charade for your parents. But this is starting to become unacceptable. You have to end this now," he said.

Cristina just shrugged. He could not believe how casual she was about it.

He stalked out of the house and just started walking. If he stayed, he knew he was going to say things that he was later going to regret. His mind was immediately flooded with competing thoughts.

Was she being deliberately obtuse about the whole situation? Could she not see how upset he was by it all? It was bad enough that she denied his role in her life to her parents, but to be replaced by a fake boyfriend, who was getting kissed like if he was a real boyfriend. Maybe she didn't love him enough to see how hurt he was.

He just kept walking and thinking at the same time. He didn't notice the time passing or the place getting darker. He was just so mad. He lay on the sand, staring at the stars, hoping that all of his bad thoughts would just go away.

Meanwhile, back at the cottage, Cristina was getting worried. He had just stormed out of the house, hours ago and he had not come back. Supposed something horrible had happened to him, while he was out there. Her mind kept thinking of all the terrible things that could have happened to him. Maybe he drowned, maybe he got beaten and robbed, maybe he was lost and couldn't find his way back or maybe he had left and was never coming back.

She wondered if she really was being insensitive. Or was it that he was being too sensitive? If the situation were reversed, how would she feel? She knew she would be immensely bothered and the thought of another girl kissing Owen would be absolutely horrifying. She remembered how she felt when she saw Beth kissing Owen, it was like he had taken her heart and stomped all over it. He was right to feel that way, she realized.

She knew what she had to do to make things right.

Owen had fallen asleep on the beach. He looked at his watch; he had fallen asleep for two hours. It was good that it was dark because if it had been during the day, he would have been roasted out there. Thank God for small blessings, he thought. He headed back to the cottage. His anger had dissipated enough so that he could face her, without resorting to saying hurtful things.

It took him a full half-hour to get back to the cottage, which was already in darkness. She had probably gone to bed. He switched on the lights and was surprised to see that she had made a huge banner sign and hung it over the fireplace. It read, "SORRY."

It made him smile. He ran to the bedroom to find her. She was already curled up under the blankets, fast asleep. He began showering her with gentle kisses across her face. Her eyes fluttered open.

"You're back. I was worried that you left," she said.

"No matter how mad I am, I would never leave you here by yourself," he said, between kisses.

"I made you a sign. Did you see it?" she asked.

"Yup, I couldn't miss it. I know you're sorry but do you understand how I really feel?" he said.

"Yes, I put myself in your shoes and realized that I would feel the same way. Remember how gutted I was when I saw Beth kissing you at that party. I guess you're probably feeling the same way," she said, softly.

"Yes, you understand," he said, relieved.

"I did something about it," she said. "I ended the charade. I called Jamie and I told him that I was going to tell my mom that we broke up and he had to do the same with his mom. He wasn't too happy. He's currently trying to hide the fact that he's dating a Hooters waitress but he agreed that we would tell them that we had gone back to being just friends. His mother would have a terrible hissy-fit if she knew about the Hooters waitress."

"I can't believe that I am the equivalent of a Hooters waitress," he chuckled.

"You're not. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're perfect to me. But there are two things that my mother would find objectionable about you. Our age difference but more importantly, you're not rich. My mother and Jamie's mother are both major class snobs. We both know our mothers' failings and we've learned to navigate around them over the years," Cristina said.

She continued, "That's why even though I ended my fake relationship with Jamie, I still cannot tell my mother about you. She will take me away. I know the witch well.

"I promise you that I am still going to tell them about you when I graduate. I will tell them the truth. I owe that to you."

He understood. "Okay. I can live with that till then. At least there will be no more kissing and no more fake relationships; I really couldn't take that anymore. That was the worst part of it."

She reached over and kissed him squarely on the mouth. He closed his eyes and felt her soft mouth kiss him over and over again. He reached under her t-shirt to feel her small breasts, caressing her nipples with his thumbs, feeling them harden under his touch. He slipped off her shirt and replaced his fingers with his mouth, as he gently took each nipple into his mouth and lightly licked them.

She wriggled out of her pajama pants and underwear as she unzipped his jeans and put her hands under his shirt. "Take it all off," she commanded.

"Getting bossy, are we?" he laughed, as he took off his clothes. He felt her small hands grab on to his cock, followed by her wet little mouth, as she started to suck him off. He grabbed her head, raking his hands through her curls as she bopped on his dick, taking in as much as she could of him into her mouth.

She ran her tongue along the entire length of his shaft, giving the tip some extra attention. As her lips circled his cock, she tickled the neck with her tongue. He closed his eyes, to better appreciate the sensation of her mouth and her hands going at a rapid pace, up and down his ever-hardening member.

His eyes were still closed when she lowered herself on to his shaft. They both gasped at the point of contact, as his cock penetrated her. She started with a slow grind to get him as deep into her as she possibly could. He moaned softly as he could feel her slippery walls hold on to him tightly inside of her. "Oh, God, I love you so much," he said, as she rocked her body with increasing speed on top of him.

But that was not enough for him. He began to thrust upwards to meet her body with his, their bodies rubbing together to create even more pleasurable friction. He could feel her sweat dripping on to him, as he reached up and caressed her breasts, massaging the nipples with his thumb.

He groaned as her internal muscles squeezed him hard, indicating that she was about to come. She screamed loudly, grateful that there was no one around who could hear her. He grunted, as he spilled his load inside of her. She rolled off him and lay down; her breath was short and shallow. She was feeling spent. He reached over to hold her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

His watch beeped to indicate it was 12 midnight. "Hey, it's your birthday. Happy birthday, baby. You are 20; you're no longer a teenager."

"Yay, I am in my twenties," she said.

"I have a present for you," he said, rising from the bed to go get it.

She held on to him and pulled him back to the bed. "You are all the present that I need," she said, as she snuggled closer to him.

He gently kissed the top of her head. He never knew he could love someone this much.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Reviews are always welcomed.**


	13. Chapter 13 Mrs Hunt arrives

Owen was excited. His mom was coming to visit. He had booked her into a hotel because there was no room for her in his small one-bedroom apartment. Cristina was also driving up that night and she was going to stay with him.

His mom had said she was willing to sleep on his sofa bed but he could not fathom the idea of making love to his girlfriend in the bedroom while his mom was sleeping in the living room. Besides, Cristina was a screamer and it would be embarrassing that his mom would know exactly what they were doing. So he booked her into a nice hotel and had made reservations at a restaurant, so he could have dinner with his mother and his girlfriend.

He hadn't exactly told Cristina that his mom would be in town. In fact, he didn't tell her anything. He didn't want to scare her away. She was under the impression it would be a normal day-off visit.

His mom, on the other hand, was perfectly aware that she was going to meet her son's girlfriend. Mrs. Joanna Hunt had heard about her for the last two years and was anxious to meet the girl who had stolen her son's heart. Especially since she knew that he was serious about the girl and wanted to marry her.

Joanna also knew that the girl was young, still only a college student, barely out of her teens. She was worried about the girl's maturity level, given her age and her sheltered background. She also knew that the girl came from a very wealthy family living in Beverly Hills. The Hunts were not wealthy, but Owen had been given a solid middle-class upbringing in Seattle. She was concerned that the girl was also used to a certain kind of lifestyle and given that Owen was a doctor on a resident's salary, he probably would not be able to provide her with the way of life to which she was accustomed.

He had already picked up his mother at the airport and had dropped her off at the hotel. He was just waiting for Cristina to drive to Boston and the two most important women in life would finally meet. He couldn't wait for his shift to be over.

His phone rang. It was Cristina. "Hey, baby," he said. "I know it's early but are you already on your way?"

"No," she said. "That's why I am calling. I am not sure if I can make it up this time."

He was alarmed. "What do you mean? You're not coming up at all?"

Cristina said, "Well, the girls at the house are throwing a party and they want me to stay for it."

"What? Cristina, it has been 10 days since I have seen you. I desperately need to see you," he said.

"Well, you can come up here, if you like. Come to the party," she said. "You'll have fun."

He sighed. He had no choice but to tell her the truth. "Besides the fact that I want to see you, there is another reason that I need you to come to Boston, tonight. My mom is here and she flew all the way from Seattle to meet you."

"Huh? What? You're telling me this now?" she shrieked.

"I didn't want to scare you about meeting my mom," he said. "Don't worry, she'll love you because I love you."

"Then, I am definitely not coming," Cristina said. "I will be under the microscope. I will be so uncomfortable."

"Cristina, please come to Boston. I am begging you," he pleaded. "I usually don't ask you for much. Please do this for me."

"But you just can't spring something like this on me. I have to be on my best behavior. And where is she staying?" she said.

"She's staying at a hotel. So you don't have to be worried about her staying in the apartment with us," he said.

"At least that is some small comfort. Tell you what, I will think about it. I am not promising anything," Cristina said.

"I guess I can't force you to drive to Boston. If you change your mind, we have dinner reservations at Union Oyster House at 7 p.m. My mom loves seafood," he said. "Please do this for me."

"If I am coming and that is a big if, I will meet you at the restaurant," she said.

"Okay, I hope I see you," he said. "Bye."

"Bye, Owen," and then she hung up.

There was no guarantee that Cristina would make the drive to Boston. He was prepared for the disappointment of her not showing up but he was hopeful that she would come. By the end of his shift, he went home, got dressed up and picked up his mom at her hotel.

His mother was waiting in the hotel lobby for me. "Hello, son," she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"You look lovely, Mom," he said.

"Aw, you just know the way to your mom's heart. Flattery will get you everywhere, Owen," Joanna said.

"Where's Cristina?" she asked, as she took the front seat of the car.

"She will meet us at the restaurant," Owen said. "She has to drive from Northampton to get here. I am sure she is already on her way." He really wasn't so sure about what he was saying but he was hoping that Cristina would indeed show up.

They got to the restaurant at 6.55 p.m. and were seated by 7 p.m. There was no sign of Cristina at the restaurant. Owen sighed.

Their table had three settings and Owen really hoped that Cristina would soon be there to use the third setting. He ordered drinks for his mom and himself, while he tried to keep his mother busy with small talk.

Fifteen minutes had passed and there was no sign of Cristina. Owen was about to give up. "Mom, I have to tell you the truth. I don't think Cristina is coming," he said. "I think she is a little nervous to meet you."

"Really? I am so sorry to hear that. I was so looking forward to meeting her. Son, does Cristina have long, dark, curly hair?" she said.

"Yes, how do you know that?" he asked, surprised.

"The waiter is escorting a pretty girl with long, dark curly hair this way," Joanna said.

He turned around to see Cristina, heading to the table. She was wearing a purple, form fitting dress. Her hair was loose and shiny and tumbled down to her shoulders. She looked beautiful. Owen's face broke out into a huge smile. She did not let him down.

He got up to meet her, taking her hand into his and brought her to the table. "Mom, this is Cristina."

"Pleased to meet you. Owen did not tell me how pretty you are. You are so tiny," she said. In her mind, Joanna also thought, "And so young."

She looked at her son's face; he could not stop smiling from the time he saw the girl. He was totally smitten, she knew. She had seen him before with his old college girlfriend, Beth and he was never like that with her.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said, accepting the older woman's outstretched hand. Cristina could see where Owen got his startling blue eyes. The woman's hair was grey but there were still ginger flecks in her hair.

"Can you get some iced tea for my girlfriend?" Owen asked the waiter. The man nodded and disappeared to get the drink.

"So, Cristina, you've had a long drive. You must be tired," Joanna asked the girl.

"I'm used to it. I drive up here so often; it doesn't seem that long anymore. Owen drives to Northampton to see me, too, so he's also gotten used to the drive," Cristina said.

"So what are you doing at Smith?" Joanna asked.

"I am doing a degree in biochemistry. I plan to get into medical school next year. Harvard, I hope," Cristina answered.

"Ah, so you're going to be a doctor, too," Joanna said.

"Yes, a cardio-thoracic surgeon," Cristina said.

"That's a lot of studying ahead of you. First, medical school, then residency, then your fellowship. That's a long time," Joanna said. "That's 12 more years, including your final year of college."

"Yes, I know," Cristina said. "But Owen's doing it and he's doing well."

"Yes, he is," Joanna said, proudly.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, Owen felt. He thought that they were getting along. At least that was his fervent hope.

Nearing the end of dinner, he excused himself to go to the bathroom. Cristina was having a huge slice of strawberry cheesecake for dessert, while Joanna was having a cup of coffee.

"Now that we're alone, Cristina," Joanna said. "I have to be honest with you and express some concerns I have about your relationship with my son."

Cristina almost choked on her cheesecake.

Joanna continued, "You're very young. Twenty is really young. You still look like a teenager. You have your whole life ahead of you. You want to be a surgeon and that's 12 more years of study."

"My son will be an attending after he completes his final two years of residency plus his two years fellowship. That's only four years. He may want to get married when he's an attending and by that time, you will still be in medical school. Are you prepared for that?

"And what about babies? How can you have babies when you're working long hours as a resident? Owen has always wanted children. He may be ready for children when you're not.

"I know that he loves you. I can see how much he loves you. Do you love him enough to give him what he wants and needs?

"You seem to be a lovely girl. I can see why he loves you. But I am not sure if you can overcome the age difference. You are just in different stages of life. You've not even started your medical training as yet and he will soon be over his and will be ready to the next stage of life – marriage and kids.

"Just think about it, Cristina. Are you sure you're the right girl for Owen? You have to be sure," Joanna finished.

Cristina sat there, silently. She pushed away the cheesecake. She couldn't eat any more. Owen came back to the table, smiling.

"Are we doing alright?" he said. "Are we ready to leave?"

Cristina nodded. She needed to get as far away from Owen's mother as possible. After Owen paid the bill, they got up to leave. Owen put out his hand for Cristina to take but she went swiftly past him and out of the door. He wondered what was wrong.

He put his mother into his car to drive her back to the hotel. He watched Cristina get into her car. "Cristina," he called out to her. "I'm just going to drop my mom to the hotel. I will see you at the apartment." She gave no acknowledgement that she heard him. Something was definitely wrong, he thought.

When he got home a little bit later, he was surprised to find his apartment in darkness. He wondered if she was in the bedroom. He needed to find out what was bothering her. His bed was empty. "Cristina?" he called out. There was no answer. Where the heck could she be?

He immediately dialed her number. She answered with a small "hello."

"Baby, why aren't you here?" he asked.

"I'm staying in a hotel for the night," she said.

"Why? Remember I told you that my mom was staying in a hotel, so we could be together in my apartment," he said.

"I think it is best that I stay in the hotel tonight. I need to think," she said.

"Think about what? Did I do something wrong? What did I do? How can I fix it?" he asked, anxiously.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong, Owen," she said. "Um...I think I am going to drive back to school, tomorrow morning."

"But it's my day off, tomorrow. We always spend my day off together. We hardly ever see each other," he said. "I thought you, Mom and me could do some sightseeing tomorrow."

Cristina scoffed silently. There was no way she was going to spend an entire day with Owen's mom, since she obviously thought that Cristina was not right for her son.

"Well, you and mom have a nice day, sightseeing," she said.

"What is wrong, Cristina? Please tell me," he was getting desperate.

"Um…I have to do some thinking about you, me and our relationship," she said.

"What brought this on? Did my mother tell you something?" he asked.

Cristina remained silent. She didn't want to say anything disparaging about Owen's mother. Her silence confirmed what the answer was to his question.

"Well, at least, tell me where you are tonight, so I wouldn't worry," he said.

"Four Seasons, Room 422," she said. "I'll be okay here. Bye, Owen. Talk to you soon."

"Bye, Cristina," as he hung up the phone.

He was determined to fix this.

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><p><strong>AN: Don't forget to leave your reviews. They are very much appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14 Fixing it

Owen knocked on the door, determined to have this conversation with his mother.

As Joanna opened the door, she was surprised to see her son standing there. "What's wrong, Owen? You just dropped me off. Is everything alright?"

"No, Mom, everything is not alright. If things were alright, I would be home in bed, with my girlfriend curled up next to me. As it is, she's holed up in a hotel, contemplating our relationship and possibly considering whether she is going to break up with me.

"So I need to know, mom. What did you say to her?"

Joanna said, "She didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't tell me anything because she didn't want to say anything bad about you. That's the kind of girl she is, Mom," he said. "So I need to know so I can fix this mess with her. What did you say to Cristina?"

Joanna started, tentatively, "I just expressed some concerns I had about your relationship."

"And what are your concerns, Mom? You could have discussed them with me first before you spoke to Cristina." Owen said.

"Well, the girl's age, for one. She is only 20 years old. She still looks like she could be a high school cheerleader. I am just wondering about her maturity level." Joanna said

"It's the Asian genes, Mom. They always look younger than they really are," he said.

"This age difference means that you are always going to be in different stages of life. The girl has so much schooling ahead of her and you're going to be done in a couple of years," she said. "What happens next? When you're an attending, she will still be in med school. Then she has five years of residency ahead of her. What happens to you? You have to put your life on hold, while you wait for her to grow up.

"I want you to be happy, Owen. I want you to have what you desire. A successful career, wife and kids. I know you want that, Owen," Joanna said.

"Mom, haven't you realized as yet? She makes me happy. I have never been happier in my life. If I have to wait for her, while she finishes school, I am going to do it. We're going to have our entire lives together. I love her and she loves me. Whether I have kids when I am 32 or 38 does not matter to me. As long as she is the one I am with, Mom. Don't you understand that?" he said.

He continued, "You are the two people I love the most and I need for you to get along. See beyond her age and try to get to know her. Give her a chance. That's all I ask. I believe that she is my future."

Joanna sighed. "Okay, Owen. I can see how much the girl means to you. I still have my doubts but I am going to try." It had not been Joanna's intention to break up the relationship but she had wanted them to step back to see whether the relationship was right for the both of them.

"Thank you, Mom," Owen said, as he kissed her on the cheek. "I am trying to get Cristina to go out with us, tomorrow. So I am going to see her, now."

He left his mother's hotel room, feeling a little bit better. Now, he had to work some magic in changing Cristina's mind.

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><p>He knocked on Room 422 at the Four Seasons. He heard her voice shout, "Didn't order any room service."<p>

"Cristina, it is not room service. It's me, Owen," he said. He heard the shuffle of her feet as she came to the door. She seemed to have already gone to bed because she was dressed in her pajamas.

"What are you doing here?" she said, yawning.

"You're here so I'm here," he said, as he walked past her and into her room.

"Well, I guess I should say come on in but you're already in," she said, as she closed the door. "I've gone to bed, already." She walked to the bed and crawled under the blankets. If she thought she was going back to sleep, she was wrong, he thought.

He stripped off his clothes and got in next to her. He pulled her close to him and started softly kissing her neck, face and lips. She curled herself into his familiar embrace, as she allowed him to put his hands under her shirt to caress her breasts and body. She sighed, contentedly, as his hands caressed her all over. She knew she was a goner for his touch and was allowing herself to be taken by him.

She gave him no fight when he slipped off all of her clothes. He covered her mouth with his own as their tongues tangled with each other. He continued a trail of kisses down her body. She felt her skin tingle as his lips brushed against her. Kissing her neck, her breasts, her stomach, her inner thighs and her sex. He nipped at her clit and made her gasp. He followed that with his very talented tongue on it, alternately nipping and licking at the same time. As he plunged his tongue into her, she closed her eyes, amazed at how good he was at this.

"Don't stop, please don't stop," she said, between shallow breaths. "Oh, Owen," she whispered as she could feel herself, falling under the spell of his gifted tongue. She held on to his head, as he made her come over and over again.

As he raised his head to kiss her, he asked, "Do you want me, Cristina? Tell me how much you want me."

"I want you so badly. I want to feel you inside of me," she said.

"Okay, babe," he said, surprising her by suddenly entering her with a single deep thrust. "Oooh," she said, as the delight of being penetrated nearly overwhelmed her. He started moving his body in even, rhythmic strokes, as he pulled up her legs over his shoulders. The angle of entry was even more pleasurable, as he sought to get as much of himself inside of her.

Again, she had no control over her body's responses, shuddering as he drilled himself into her.

"Don't stop, keep going," she screamed, as she pushed her body upwards towards him. She almost felt like he was ripping her apart, the way he pounded into her, but the pleasure was so great that she could not care less.

When they both climaxed, it was as if they were no longer two separate beings, but one body. They had joined and become one.

As their bodies separated from each other, it almost felt like a cruel letdown from the intense physical connection that they had just shared. She rested her head against his chest, as he wrapped his arm around her.

"That is to remind you, Cristina, how good we are together," he said. "Don't walk away from me, now."

He lifted her head up to look at her face. "I spoke to my mom and I know what she told you. I don't care about the age difference. I don't care if I have to wait for you to finish medical school before we can get married. I will wait when you're done with your residency before we have children. As long as we are together," he said. "That's all that matters."

"I love you, Cristina," he added.

"I love you, Owen," she whispered.

"Well, you know you're not driving back to Northampton in the morning," he said.

"I haven't changed my mind. You and your mom can go on your sightseeing tour. I don't want to be the third wheel. Besides, I think I will feel a little bit uncomfortable. She probably still hates me," she said.

"My mom doesn't hate you. She was just worried that we hadn't thought about our future. I told her I knew exactly what I was doing. I told her to give you a chance, get to know you. So I need for you to do the same, Cristina. You need to give her a chance, get to know her. You can't run away from this. We are all going to be family, one day, so we need to do this," he said.

She still looked doubtful. "I will think about it," she said, turning away from him. He hated when she did that. It felt like a rejection.

"Don't turn away from me," he said. "I don't like it. It feels like you're rejecting me."

"I am just thinking," she said, her body still turned from him.

"Can't you think, facing me?" he asked.

She turned back to him. "You distract me," she said. "How can I think clearly about the situation, when you're right in front of me? Just looking at your pleading face with your piercing blue eyes is going to persuade me to agree to staying in Boston and going sightseeing with you and your mom."

He laughed. "Even more reason for you to keep looking at me."

She turned away from him, again. "I am not rejecting you. I am thinking. I will let you know in the morning. Let's go to sleep, now."

"Can I spoon you, while you think?" he asked.

"Yes, that is acceptable," she said. He pulled her close and curled his larger body around hers. It felt warmly familiar and oh-so-good, he thought. He always equated being with Cristina, no matter where they were, as being at home.

He soon fell asleep, while she stayed up; her thoughts were racing through her mind as she pondered what she was going to do.

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><p>He woke up to find that her warm, little body was no longer next to him. Did she leave him here? Had she got up early and driven back to school?<p>

"Cristina," he called out. There was no answer. He could not believe that she would do this to him.

"Hold your horses," she said, emerging from the bathroom. "I am still here."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Does this mean you're coming with us?"

She nodded. He jumped off the bed and picked her up and swung her around. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Hmm," she said. "However, the first sign that she looks at me askance, I am out of there, buddy."

"She won't," he said. "Trust me."

"That's what you said last night and look what happened," she said.

"No, today is going to be different," he assured her.

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><p>Two hours later, they were picking up Owen's mom at her hotel. Mrs. Hunt came out of her hotel and got into the back seat.<p>

"Good morning, Owen, Cristina," she said with a tight smile.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said, nervously.

"Good morning, Mom. We're going to have a great day," Owen said, with an overly enthusiastic tone.

Everyone knew it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please don't forget to leave your reviews. They encourage me to continue, so please leave your reviews here.**


	15. Chapter 15 Moms

It had not been an easy day so far, Owen thought. His mother was acting exceedingly polite to both he and Cristina. She was not her usual jovial laughing self so it was clearly an act that she was putting forward.

Cristina, he thought, was even worse. She was eschewing all forms of public displays of affection. He was very used to touching her all of the time because they were a very tactile couple. Any time he wanted to hold her hand, hug her or put his arm around her, she would shrug his arm off like if it were infected. When he tried to steal a couple of kisses, she turned her head. She was getting on his nerves. He glared at her and she glared right back at him.

At lunchtime, they had found themselves at a lovely waterfront restaurant. Joanna excused herself and went to the bathroom. Owen thought that it was a perfect time to confront Cristina about her inability to show him any sort of affection.

"What is wrong with you? Every time I have tried to touch you, you've been giving me the cold shoulder. What gives? Why are you treating me like _persona non grata_?" he asked.

"I am being considerate of your mother's feelings," she said. "She might not appreciate you all over me."

"I am not all over you," he said. "I just want to hold your hand and want you to allow me to hug and touch you. Haven't even gotten a good kiss, since we left the hotel this morning."

"Oh come on, Owen. You're always all over me. Whenever we are in close proximity to each other, you always want to touch me," she said.

"So what if I find you irresistible? A guy can't catch a decent break around here with you people. My mom's gone all polite and you won't let me touch you," he said. He sighed loudly. "Listen, my mom knows that we sleep together so me touching you is no big deal to her."

"Okay, okay, since your mom is not here, I will give you a kiss," she said.

"A real kiss. No stupid peck on the lips," he said. "And you're going to allow me to hold your hand for the rest of the day."

"Alright," she agreed. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. He gave her a deep, lingering kiss. He didn't particularly care that there were other diners, who could see them. He had been starved of those lips for the entire morning and he was going to savor them.

Joanna headed back to the table, just in time to see the young lovers sharing their kiss. She watched as her son tenderly hold this girl's face in his hands as he kissed her. Owen, she knew, had never been one to indulge in PDA with his former girlfriends but with this girl, he had thrown all caution to the wind. He clearly loved this girl more than any other.

Joanna knew she had to make the effort to know the girl better and put aside her misgivings because she now understood that some day, if Owen was going to have his way, that this girl was going to be her daughter-in-law.

"I'm back," she announced. Owen and Cristina broke off their kiss at the sound of her voice. Cristina felt a little bit embarrassed but Owen took her hand into his and squeezed it. She was grateful because she still felt that Mrs. Hunt was judging her.

"So what do you want to order, Mom," Owen said, as they all perused the menus.

"I think I will have the salmon," Joanna said. "Cristina, what about you?"

Cristina was surprised that Joanna was addressing her. She had felt that Joanna had been ignoring her for most of the day.

"I think I will take the shrimp," she said, quietly.

"Great," said Owen. "I think I will take the sea bass." Owen was pleased. It was clear that his mother was trying, despite all of her doubts about their relationship.

From then on, it turned out to be a rather pleasant day. Owen was no longer starved of affection as Cristina allowed him to touch her. Mrs. Hunt made the effort to be more pleasant and accommodating to the young girl. Cristina responded by being more relaxed, even laughing at all of Mrs. Hunt's jokes.

Later at dinner, Joanna turned to Cristina. "I wish to apologize for what happened yesterday. I was just concerned about Owen and his future. I see now that you make him happy. And I guess that is all a mother can ask for. That her child be happy and you're doing that for him. Thank you."

"Apology accepted, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said. "He makes me happy, too."

Owen was pleased. That the two people he loved most in the world could finally reach an understanding was more than he could hope for.

"Thank you, Mom, for giving this a chance," Owen said. "Thank you, Cristina for deciding to come out today."

Still, he knew, there was still a lot of work to be done before the two women would actually feel comfortable in each other's presence. The only thing they had in common was Owen and that they both loved him. For his sake, they knew they both had to try.

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><p>While Cristina had reached a truce with her boyfriend's mother, she knew that Mrs. Hunt was a cakewalk, when compared to Mrs. Rubenstein. Helen was far less reasonable than Joanna, on any given day, Cristina knew.<p>

The end of the school year was fast approaching and graduation was looming. Cristina was soon to complete all of her credits to graduate. She had already been accepted at Harvard Medical School for the fall semester.

She knew she had promised Owen that she was going to tell her parents about their relationship at her graduation from Smith. She couldn't worry about that right now. Finals were occupying her attention. She had banned Owen from coming up to Northampton, while finals were on. He was upset about it but he understood how important it was for her to do well. He still called her every night without fail. They often discussed what their plans were after graduation.

She would move up to Boston and stay with him for the summer, then go off on their usual birthday celebration vacation and then she would move to Cambridge to be closer to school. They were so looking forward to it because even though she would move to Cambridge, it was only a couple of miles away and they could see each other on a more frequent basis.

The day before her graduation ceremony, Owen came up the night before and checked into his usual hotel, where Cristina stayed with him. So they had some time alone before her parents arrived. She had already packed up all of her stuff because she was going to go home with her parents for a short while before returning to Boston to live with him for the summer.

Cristina`s parents were actually going to fly up during the night, stay in Boston and hire a limousine to take them to the school the next day.

"So you are going to tell them about me, right?" Owen said, as they lay on their bed together.

"Yeah, I promised. Besides, I think it is time that they know about us. We've been together nearly three years, now. That's a long time in anyone's books," she said, snuggling into him.

"So when exactly are you going to tell them?" he asked, anxiously.

"Before the graduation ceremony. They are coming in just in time for that. We'll wait for them at the entrance before the ceremony starts. I will introduce you this time as my boyfriend and not my doctor. I have to warn you that it is not going to be easy. My mother will not take this news, lightly," she said.

"I will deal with your mother. Mothers usually love me," he said. "All my girlfriends' moms have all loved me. They wanted me to be their son-in-law." He looked proud of the fact.

She started laughing, hysterically. Clearly, Owen had not dealt with the likes of Helen Rubenstein.

"Laugh now," he said. "I am going to win that woman over. How about your step-dad? Won't he have something to say?"

"Nope. It won't bother him at all. He will be absolutely amazing. That's how my step-dad is. I have no idea how he hooked up with my mother. She probably trapped him in her spider-web and he wasn't able to set himself free," Cristina said.

"How can you talk about your mother like this?" Owen was aghast.

"Oh, just wait and see," she said. "Let's not talk about my mom anymore. She's killing my libido."

"And we don't want that to happen," he said, as he started kissing her all over, while he slipped off her nightgown.

"Ooh, I like how this going," she said, as she willingly succumbed to his advances.

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><p>The next morning, they both got dressed up, she in a pretty blue dress and he in a suit.<p>

"My, we look good," he said. "It's a pity your dress is going to be covered up with your graduation gown. Nobody will see how pretty it is."

"Well, you look very handsome," she said. "Even my mother would have to admit that you're handsome."

"Well, I aim to please," he said. "Let's head over to the hall."

"I got a text from my step-dad that they will be here in a half an hour," she said.

"So I guess we better go and wait for them at the entrance," he said.

"Yes," she said, as she took his hand. Her voice may have sounded steady but her heart was pounding. She was definitely wary of what her mother was going to say about her relationship. She looked at Owen's happy, smiling face.

Owen was indeed happy. He was beaming because not only was his girl going to graduate at the top of her class, their relationship was no longer going to be a secret. He was so glad that everything was going to be out in the open.

They arrived at the graduation hall, which was already starting to fill up. Lots of students and their parents were already there, getting seated. The place seemed abuzz with excitement and happiness.

Cristina spotted them first. "Oh, there they are," she said, as she ran and hugged her step-dad. Dr Rubenstein lifted up Cristina in his arms. She would always be his little girl to him. Helen, as usual, was impeccably dressed in a designer outfit, this time, a navy-blue Christian Dior suit. Cristina politely kissed her on the cheek.

"You look well, Cristina," her mom said. "So you're valedictorian. Congratulations. I would have expected nothing less from you."

"So how are you, baby girl?" her step-dad said.

"I am doing fine, Papa," she said. "There is someone I would like you to meet."

She brought her parents across to Owen, who had been waiting, anxiously for his moment.

"Mother, Papa, I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Dr Owen Hunt," Cristina said. Owen put out his hand and Dr Rubenstein shook it warmly.

Helen, on the other hand, was not as welcoming. In fact, her face had turned to stone.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate all of your comments.**


	16. Chapter 16 Graduation

"Nice to meet you," Saul said, as he shook Owen's hand warmly. "What kind of doctor are you?"

"I am a resident, right now. Training to be a trauma surgeon. I am finishing up my fourth year of residency. Then, I still have my fifth year and then, my fellowship," Owen said.

"So where are you training now?" Saul asked.

"I am at Mass Gen," Owen answered.

"That is a great hospital. Impeccable reputation," Saul said. "Good man, trauma is a great field. Kind of being on the front lines of the medical profession."

"Yes," Helen said. "That's where I know you from. The hospital, when Cristina got into that accident last year."

"Well, actually, Mom," Cristina started. "We've known each other from before that. We've been together since my first year at Smith."

"From way back then. So what was that all about with you and James last year?" Helen wanted to know.

"That was just something Jamie and I cooked up so that you and his mom would stop bothering us about who we dated," Cristina said. "We're sorry about that but at the time, it seemed like a good idea."

"So that was just a charade," Helen said. "I am appalled at James' and your behavior. I will speak to Daphne about this when I get back to Beverly Hills."

Helen continued, "I knew I wasn't imagining things when I was here. I kept wondering why this doctor was giving you such special attention. Now I know the truth."

She turned to Owen, "So how old are you, young man?"

"I am 28," Owen said.

"So that means when my then 18-year-old daughter started dating you, you were already 26," Helen said.

"That is true," Owen answered.

"I am very mature for my age," Cristina piped up. She cowered a little bit from her mother's glare.

She turned away and said, "Anyway, I have got to go take my place with the rest of the class. You guys better get into your seats. Your tickets have seat numbers on them so you will know where you sit."

Cristina had wisely gotten a seat for Owen that was far away from her mother. She felt that he would not have been able to sit through an entire ceremony, right under the scrutiny of her mother.

As they all went to get their seats, Helen was immediately on her phone, calling her lawyer. "What are you doing?" Saul asked.

"I am just protecting my daughter," she said. "I am going to make some discreet enquiries into this Owen Hunt person."

"Oh, why can't you leave that alone?" Saul begged. "Can't you see that Cristina is happy?"

Helen gave him a stern glare. He knew there was no stopping her when she was in this mood.

"Yes, Roger. This is Helen Rubenstein. I need your investigator to dig up as much as you can about a young doctor, working at Massachusetts General. His name is Owen Hunt. I need as much information as you can find. Family, income, finances, if he has ever been in trouble with the law, anything you can find. You have two hours because that is the length of time this graduation ceremony is going to take. A full report in two hours. I will pay double the rate for your investigator to deliver this to me by that time. Thank you. I will be expecting your call," Helen said. She hung up her phone and gave her husband a triumphant look.

Saul shook his head in disgust. He loved his wife but she could be terribly controlling at times. He knew that this was not going to end well, as it always did, once Helen had gotten her claws into something. He felt sorry for Cristina and especially, for the young man, who was not aware of what was going to befall him in a couple of hours.

The graduation ceremony program was long with featured speakers, distribution of awards, recognition of teachers and Cristina's speech as valedictorian. She had worked long and hard on this speech and had practiced it for Owen many times. As she delivered her speech, he mouthed the words with her. He knew it that well.

She looked across at him and he gave her the most encouraging smile. She looked at her parents on the other side of the room; her step-dad was beaming with pride, while her mother seemed to be on the phone. Cristina sighed under her breath when she saw her mother. She seemed rather engrossed in her phone call and it appeared that she was taking notes from the person on the other end of the line.

It did not bother Cristina too much that her mother was not listening. She had come to expect that from her mother, over the years. Still, she was happy that both her step-dad and her boyfriend both looked so very proud of her.

After her speech was over, she was given a thunderous round of applause from the audience. Soon, the ceremony was over with the distribution of the diplomas and the traditional throwing of the graduation caps into the air. The crowd then headed over to the reception hall for light refreshments.

Helen turned to her husband, "Please occupy our daughter's attention. I need to speak to her young man." Saul sighed.

He knew that Helen had received her report from her lawyer's office and she was going to confront the young man with everything she had found out.

Helen had soon cornered with Owen in one area of the hall. "So, Dr Hunt, can I ask you what are your intentions, regarding my daughter?"

"I hope eventually that we will get married but that won't be for quite a while yet. We both know that Cristina still has a lot of schooling ahead of her with medical school and her residency. I am hoping that we will get married after she finishes medical school," he said.

"What about children? I am sure that you would be wanting children," Helen pressed.

"Well, I do hope that we have children but I don't see that happening until Cristina finishes her residency," he said.

"So you are going to wait that long for her. That is commendable," Helen said.

"I love her," Owen said, firmly.

"However," Helen continued. "I have made some enquiries about you and there are things about you, which I don't foresee as being part of my plan for my daughter."

"You did a background check on me?" he was flabbergasted.

"Yes, I did. You come from a lower middle-income family from Seattle. Just your mom is alive, your dad died. Went to Northwestern for college, then Harvard for medical school. That's very impressive, Dr Hunt. Those are excellent schools. However, because of your family's financial background, you had to take out quite a number of student loans to finance your education," she said.

Owen could not believe his ears. Cristina was right that Helen Rubenstein was a force to be reckoned with.

"I do believe that you owe something to the tune of $200,000 in student loans. Is that right, Dr Hunt? And you still have three years of training left with one year of residency plus two years fellowship," she said.

"Let us be clear, Dr Hunt. You have done well for yourself given your meager circumstances, but I don't plan to have my child attached to a man, who is currently not financially solvent. You don't have any money. Not to mention the age difference between the two of you.

"I know my daughter has plans to attend Harvard Medical School and I assume the reason that she applied to Harvard is that she could be near you. However, I do not see you as being part of what I want for my daughter. You are just not good enough for her.

"So if she stays with you, I am going to cut her off," Helen said. Owen looked across at his tiny girlfriend, laughing and conversing with her step-dad on the other side of the room.

Helen continued, "And if I cut her off, what happens to her, then? What happens to her dream of going to medical school? You are going to have to take responsibility for her now, if she stays with you. So where will you live? In that dinky one-bedroom apartment near the hospital." Helen laughed, derisively.

"Can you even afford to take care of her on your resident's salary, given your huge loan commitments? So if she decides she still wants to go to medical school, there is no way you can afford that tuition. So she will have to take a loan to finance that and end up being heavily burdened with loans just the way you are now. Do you want that future for her?

"Not only that, she would have to work. My daughter has never had a day of hardship in her life. She has never worked a day in her life. Can you see her working as a server in a bar, trying to make ends meet? She is not going to survive if I cut her off. No credit card, no monthly allowance, no money for tuition or apartment.

"But you can solve that, right now. All you have to do is break it off with her. She will continue her life as normal. My husband and I will continue to provide for all of her needs. She will never know any hardship at all. She will be able to fulfil all of her dreams.

"Just break up with her. That's all I ask. If you don't break up with her, she is going to suffer. Do you want that? Think about it but don't think too long. Good day, Dr Hunt."

With that, Helen walked away.

Owen was shattered. He knew that their plans to be together depended on Cristina's parents continuing to support her through medical school. He could ill-afford to take care of her and to send her to medical school. He wanted her to be able to accomplish her dreams to be a cardio-thoracic surgeon. He wanted her to have the best in life. He loved her so much. He knew what he had to do.

His thoughts were interrupted by his girlfriend running up to him and hugging him tightly.

"I am so happy," Cristina said.

"I have to talk to you," he said. He took her hand and took her outside for them to get some privacy.

"What?" she said, taking note of the severity of his tone.

"This is it for me and you. We are not going to be together," he said.

"What happened? What has changed?" she said, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "Why are you doing this?"

"I cannot give you the life that you are used to," he said. "I cannot take care of you the way I need to."

The tears started streaming down her face. "But you promised me. You said we would get married when I finished medical school. You gave me a ring. You promised me."

She started pounding him on his chest. The tears were flowing now. "You promised me," she said, over and over again. "I love you. You said you loved me."

At that point, Helen came forward and started dragging Cristina away from him. She was so anguished that she allowed her mother to take her away.

The last he saw of her was her tear-streaked face looking back at him from the window of the limo. His view became blurred as the tears started streaming down his face.

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><p><strong>AN Please don't forget to leave a review. Thank you for your comments.**


	17. Chapter 17 Separate Lives

**A/N: This follows Cristina and Owen in the years they have been apart. They are now living separate lives. First is Cristina's story, and then we follow Owen over the years.**

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><p><em><strong>Cristina<strong>_

The plane ride back to California had been miserable. She lay in her stepfather's arms, as he tried to soothe away her pain. She cried and slept, and then cried again. Saul looked at Helen and shook his head. Helen's expression gave nothing away. Saul knew whatever it was that Helen had told the young man, had forced him into ending his relationship with Cristina.

For days after they returned home, Cristina refused to leave her room. Saul would check on her regular basis. She was not eating and was getting dark circles under her eyes. He was getting worried.

"Cristina, you must eat," Saul told his stepdaughter. He loved the girl as his own and he found it very difficult to see her in such a state.

"Why, Papa? Why would he say those things? Why would he break up with me? He told me he loved me. We were together for nearly three years," she said. "I just don't understand."

Saul knew fully well why the young doctor had broken up with Cristina. He had a conversation with his wife, who told him about Owen's poor financial status and her threat to cut off Cristina, if he continued his relationship with her daughter. Saul was appalled. He knew his wife was controlling but he had not expected her to be that manipulative.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He made the decision not to tell Cristina what her mother had done. He could not have her hating her own mother, no matter how much she may have deserved it. He had observed the love-hate relationship over the years between Cristina and Helen. He loved both women and he did not want to see his family torn apart by what Helen had done.

As he sat on Cristina's bed, stroking her hair, maybe he needed to get her to start thinking about the future so he could get her out of her depression.

"Cristina, what about medical school?" he asked. "You have to think about your future."

"I don't think I can face it right now. I don't think I can go back to Boston. I won't be able to take it," she said, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Well, what about doing your PhD in biochemistry, instead? It probably is too late to get you into a medical school but you might still be able to get into a PhD program as a late applicant," he said.

"I will call up my contacts at Berkeley to ask them to take a look at your application. Your qualifications are impeccable. They would be lucky to have you as a student," Saul said.

"You think so, Papa?" Cristina said. "That they would let me in?"

"I know so, Cristina," Saul said, hugging his stepdaughter.

So, that fall, instead of going to Harvard Medical School to do her medical degree, Cristina ended up at Berkeley to do her PhD. Before Cristina left for Berkeley, she took off Owen's promise ring and placed it in a jewelry box, hiding it at the back of her closet. She never looked at it, again.

As always, Cristina opted to fast track the program and ended up doing it in less time than normal. After obtaining her PhD, she was ready to finally pursue her dream of going to medical school. She went to Stanford, which in reality, was not too far from Berkeley. It was there she met Dr Colin Marlow, world-famous cardiologist – the cardio god of Stanford. When she started dating him, she could just imagine what her mother would say if she knew her daughter was dating a man, who was old enough to be her father. Now that she was older, her mother had less control on her life and she knew that dating Marlow was an act of defiance on her part.

Even though Marlow had asked her to marry him numerous times, she refused him every single time. She knew that she did not love Marlow the same way she loved Owen. She always felt that until she could feel that way again about a man, she would know that it would be right to accept his proposal.

She had applied several hospitals for her residency. She had graduated at the top of her class at Stanford, so she knew she was a hot commodity. The first hospital that accepted her was Seattle Grace. She decided to make the move to a new state as she had enough of living in the same state as her mother.

Even though Seattle Grace was a top teaching hospital, she wondered if she had made the subconscious decision to accept the Seattle Grace offer because that was the city where Owen was from. Over the years, she had thought about him but the pain she felt in her heart whenever she thought about him, would overwhelm her and she tried to push him out her mind.

At Seattle Grace, she made a few good friends – George, Izzie, Alex and Meredith, who turned out to be her person. Meredith would always support her without question. As she once explained, if she had a dead body to dispose of, it would be Meredith who would help her drag it across the floor.

It was there that she also met Dr. Preston Burke, the second cardio god in her life. Their relationship had started as just a fling but deepened to something more after she suffered an ectopic pregnancy. She had moved in with him and he had asked her to marry him. She had accepted his proposal but she knew she was a reluctant bride. He had sensed her reluctance when he left her the day of their wedding ceremony.

She had cried a lot but when he left, she felt free. Yes, she had loved Burke, but deep down, she knew that she had not loved him the way she had loved Owen. Her pain at losing Burke was somehow less than when she lost Owen.

Six months later, she was totally over Burke. In the months since he had left, she had concentrated on becoming a better doctor, despite the fact she had an awful teacher, Dr Erica Hahn, who was mean and often cut her out of the coolest cardio surgeries. She missed Burke but only because he had been a good teacher but she did not miss him otherwise.

On that cold Seattle night, the hospital had just suffered a major blow when they found out that they were only the 12th ranked teaching hospital. Dr. Webber, Chief of Surgery, was very unhappy about it and was busting everyone's chops about it. The hospital had lost its top rating as an emergency trauma center and they were losing all their trauma cases to their rivals at Seattle Presbyterian and Mercy West.

But Dr Bailey, a fifth year resident and Cristina's former supervisor, had a plan. There had been three women who had come in earlier, hurt from an accident on the slippery black ice. Dr Bailey had convinced the ladies to insist that their husbands who had also been hurt in the accident to be brought to Seattle Grace. And thus, their ambulances were diverted to Seattle Grace.

When the first ambulance arrived, little did Cristina know that it would bring a familiar face from her past.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Owen<em>**

After Cristina's graduation, Owen drove back to his tiny apartment. The apartment felt as desolate and empty as he felt inside. He was completely devastated. He felt like his life was over. He crashed on his bed and cried like he had never done before in his life.

For months afterwards, he felt like he was living in a fog. His work never faltered but he was not the same person. He became somber and quiet. He had often thought about calling her, stopping himself every time, except that one time when his willpower gave out, only to realize that her phone number had been changed.

In any case, what could he tell her? That her mother really was the wicked witch? He could not damage whatever relationship she had with her mother. After all, she was still Cristina's mother. There was no way he would ever allow Cristina to be unable to fulfil her dreams. Even if he couldn't have her, he wanted her to be the cardio surgeon she always wanted to be.

On her 21st birthday, he thought about her from the moment he woke up. If she had been with him, they would have been off on their annual vacation on the beach, where they would swim and sail and he would have made love to her, every night. He still had the present he had bought for her. His heart hurt every time he thought about her.

He was the top resident of his year and then he had embarked on his two-year fellowship. After completing his fellowship, he decided he wanted to serve his country and had enlisted in the army. He had a month off before he started his assignment so he went back to Seattle to visit his mother. It would be a while before he would see her again.

It was in Seattle that he met up with Beth, who was now a schoolteacher. She seemed to have matured over the years and they started hanging out with each other once again. It seemed very familiar to be with her. It was comforting. He convinced himself that he could make a life with her and proposed to her. Beth was over the moon. At the engagement party before he left for overseas, his mother had asked him if this is what he really wanted to do. He knew he could be honest with his mother because she knew Cristina and how much he loved her.

"I have lost her, Mom. I can't ever get her back again. It's more than three years. I have to get on with my life. Beth loves me. She would make a good wife and mother," Owen said.

"But do you love her?" Joanna asked, as she was worried about the choices her son was making.

"She will be good for me. I am 32 years old, Mom. I need to move on," he told her. He could not lie to his mother and say that he loved Beth. His mother nodded, as she knew the hurt he still felt about Cristina.

Soon enough, Owen was shipped out to the desert to serve on the frontlines. He wrote dutifully to Beth as a good fiancé would. He had her picture in his wallet but under her picture was another picture of a girl with long, dark curly hair. It was a picture that he had taken of Cristina on their last vacation at Cape Cod. She had just turned 20. She was wearing a pale blue sundress, her hair was being whipped by the wind and she looked beautiful. What he loved most about that picture was the expression on her face, she was looking at the photographer with so much love.

Everyone knew that the picture of the blonde girl was of his fiancée. But when he was alone, he would take out the picture of the dark-haired girl and stare at it. He wondered how she was doing. She would probably be in medical school, he figured. He wondered if she had found someone else. He wondered if she ever thought about him.

The years in the army had toughened him up. He had seen so many horrible injuries and sometimes, he felt he could not do enough for these brave soldiers.

Whenever he spoke to Beth, she would talk about what was going with her life and it would seem so trivial to the life-and-death events that were happening to him every day. He would listen politely but his life seemed so divorced from what was happening with Beth. He found himself changing as the years went by. He could not see himself with Beth. He knew he did not love her and he felt she deserved better. She deserved to be with someone who loved her back.

He knew what he had to do but he found himself unable to hurt her in person. He wrote an email, breaking off the engagement. He put away Beth's picture but left Cristina's picture in his wallet.

Five years in the army had made him a different man. He was headed back to the States for some leave. He was going back to Seattle for a visit. As he waited in the hangar for his transport back, he took out his wallet and gazed at Cristina's picture.

His colleague and friend, John, saw him staring at the photograph. "Hey, I thought your fiancée was blonde. That's no blonde."

"I no longer have a fiancée. I broke off the engagement," Owen told him.

"Oh. Is that the new girlfriend?" John asked. "She looks really young."

"No, she is not my girlfriend, now," Owen said. "This was the love of my life. She looks young because this was taken when she was just 20. She should be about 29 now and a medical resident."

"You've kept her picture all this time? She really was the love of your life," John said.

"Yeah, she was," Owen said, closing his wallet and putting it in his pocket.

When he got to Seattle, he had spent a wonderful two weeks with his mom. He made the effort to avoid Beth as much as he could. It was his last night in Seattle and he went to pick up some dinner for himself and his mom. It was one of those cold Seattle nights where black ice was a problem. Accidents were common on black ice.

It was fortunate for him that he saw the accident with the limo in the intersection and he tried but he couldn't avoid them, as he cut his leg open on impact. But that was minor, in comparison to the people in the accident.

Adrenalin kicked in and he got out of his car to help the injured passengers. There were three men. As he checked each one, there was one who was having a major problem, breathing. He had no choice but to do a tracheotomy. He just had no medical equipment with him. Using a pen he had in his pocket, he tried to sterilize it, using some snow. The trache worked and the man started breathing again.

When the ambulance came, the paramedics were beyond astonished by the sight of this soldier, who had done a tracheotomy with a pen. He explained he was an army surgeon on leave and he had to do what he could because the patient was dying.

Owen, along with his patient, was bundled into the ambulance to Seattle Grace hospital. Little did he know when he got there, he would again meet a familiar face.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. They are what keep me going.**


	18. Chapter 18 Reunion

**A/N: This chapter has been inspired by the season premiere of Season 5. However, while the circumstances remain the same, some of the dialogue is different because Owen and Cristina know each other in this AU universe.**

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><p>Chief Webber, Dr Bailey and Cristina stood awaiting the ambulances. It was such a chilly night, Cristina wondered if she should have worn a jacket over her trauma gown. She kept moving her feet to keep warm.<p>

The first ambulance came screaming around the corner. "Yang, you're with me," the Chief ordered.

The door of the ambulance flew open. The paramedic started rattling off all of the patient's injuries, arising from the accident. A soldier, also in the ambulance, was busy blowing into the patient's throat. Cristina caught a look at the soldier. Her gasp was barely audible. He looked more than familiar, especially that red hair. "Could it be?" she wondered. She hoped against hope that it wasn't.

The Chief was alarmed at what he saw before him. He was ready to berate the paramedic. "What did you do?"

"I didn't. He did. GI Joe trached him in the field before I even got there," the paramedic said. Cristina finally got a really good look at the soldier – it was a face she knew very well. It was a face she had not seen in more than eight years. He was still as handsome as he always was, even though he clearly was older. She was surprised that he had joined the army.

Cristina hid behind the Chief, grateful that he was such a tall, large man. He hid her petite frame perfectly, so that Owen did not notice her, standing on the side.

"With a pen? You trached this guy with a pen?" Chief Webber was astounded at the audacity of the soldier.

"So?" Owen said, looking up at the Chief, briefly, between breaths. The paramedics and Owen ran into the ER with the patient. She noted that his leg was bleeding and she hoped that someone would take care of his injuries.

"Pen trache. Hot," she said. She could still admire how bold he was, even though she was hoping that they were not going to cross paths again for the night. She was going to try her best to avoid her former lover.

She really did not want to dredge up all of that hurt and anger that was still in her, when it came to Owen. She had just suffered enough trauma with Burke leaving her at the altar only six months ago, and now to have Owen just stepping back into her life, so soon after that, seemed like a little too much to bear at the moment. She wanted to keep all that hurt still buried within her but with him suddenly appearing again, she was afraid that all of that pain would just come bubbling back up to the surface.

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><p>Cristina was grateful that she had been assigned another patient, Vincent Kenner, so she didn't have to deal with Owen and the trache patient. With a skull fracture and no breath sounds in half of his chest, it was clear that Vincent was headed to the OR.<p>

Cristina had been walking on eggshells around Dr Hahn and tentatively asked if she could scrub in. Fully expecting Hahn to deny her the opportunity, she was beyond surprised that Hahn agreed. So when Hahn asked her to go get the Chief for a consult, she was more than willing to do so.

She spotted Chief Webber in the corridor but unfortunately, he was with Owen. She let out a loud sigh. She desperately needed to get into this surgery and it was clear she had no choice but to face Owen, as she urgently needed to speak to the Chief. Maybe he won't remember what I look like, she thought. After all, it was more than eight years since they had seen each other. "I am more grown-up now," she reassured herself, as she approached the Chief. "He won't recognize me."

"Sir," Cristina called out. "Dr Hahn is working on multiple crush injuries. She wants you to take a look."

Owen could not believe his ears. He knew that voice. It was the voice, which once said his name with love. He turned around and saw her. It was no mistaking her. She looked a little older but her long, dark curly hair and her porcelain face were the same. He could not believe his eyes. It was as if the heavens had opened up and deposited the love of his life right in front of him. What were the odds that they would meet again at a Seattle hospital, so many years later? He felt a joy that he had not experienced in years.

Cristina tried to avoid Owen's eyes, preferring to look at the Chief instead.

"I am on my way," Webber said. "You're bleeding?" He had noticed Owen's bloodied leg.

"My car was behind them in the intersection. I cut it on impact," Owen said.

"And you triaged these men?" Webber was impressed.

"Major Owen Hunt, US Army Second Forward Surgical. I am a trauma surgeon. I am home on leave," he said, emphasizing his name, as he shot Cristina several glances.

Webber turned to Cristina, "Dr Yang, take care of Major Hunt." Owen could not believe his luck and could not hide his glee.

Cristina tried to think fast about how she could get out of taking care of Owen. Maybe she could get Dr. Webber to get an intern to see about him. After all, it was only a cut on his leg. She ran after him, "Sir, I'm scrubbing in with you."

The Chief gave her a pointed look, "After you take care of Major Hunt."

She hung her head. Owen could tell that Cristina did not want to have to deal with him. She clearly wanted to avoid him. He was disappointed that she was acting this way but he understood how she felt.

She silently directed him to an exam room, where she started to clean and treat his wound. He stared down at her, wondering when she was going to acknowledge him. "She's treating me like if I am any other patient," he thought. He could not take that. He had to do something to make her acknowledge him. He grabbed the stapler and started using it on his wound. The pain was excruciating but he didn't care. He had to get her attention.

She turned around, as she heard him grunting. "Ow, ow, Owen, you're not numbed."

He stopped, "So? And finally, you acknowledge who I am. This was the only thing I could do so you would acknowledge that it's me."

He handed her the stapler. "Could you do the rest? I can't get an angle on them. How long were you going to pretend that you don't know me?"

She took the stapler and bent down to staple the rest of his wound. As she got to work, she looked up at him with pained eyes "I know who you are. It's just I don't choose to remember who you are."

That hurt him to the core.

"Cristina….please," he said. "Let me explain to you what happened."

"What is there to explain, Owen? You said we weren't going to be together and that was that. You broke my heart in a million pieces. We went our separate ways. You joined the army and I went to medical school at Stanford, instead of Harvard. My life turned out differently than what I expected when I was 20 years old. But I am fine, you're fine, we're both fine," she said.

"Please I need to tell you what happened on the day of your graduation. Now that I have seen where you've reached in your life. I can tell you this now," he pleaded.

"I don't really want to know, Owen. It's been too long. Too many years. What does it matter now?" she said, shaking her head.

"Your mom….." he started. Just at that moment, Dr. Callie Torres burst into the room to ask Owen a question about a technique he had suggested earlier for her patient.

Cristina was grateful for the interruption while Owen was not. He was not getting a chance to plead his case. He was exasperated.

"Well, I have surgery, now," Cristina said, handing him the antibiotic syringe. "Poke yourself."

He watched her leave and wondered if he had just blown his chance to explain what had happened and why he did what he did. He knew she had been deeply hurt by his actions that day and it was clear, she was still hurting, despite what she said.

Cristina's eyes were stinging with tears, as she left the exam room. She hadn't wanted to cry. All the pain that she felt as a 20-year-old, crying in her room, hit her again in full force. "Damn you, Owen, damn you. Why the hell are you here back to torture me?"

She was glad that she was going into surgery. By the time she came out of surgery, he would probably be gone and that would be the last she would ever see of Owen Hunt. "Good riddance," she said to herself.

She headed to the scrub room to join Dr Hahn and Dr Webber in surgery.

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><p>The surgery had been terrible. Dr Webber had asked her to do a particular stitch and she assured him that she could do it. But her stitches kept tearing, which led Dr. Webber to push her aside and take over. Cristina said she didn't understand because she had done this stitch many times on hearts. Hahn, being her usual mean self, said that she was doing it wrong because she only knew how to do the stitch on hearts.<p>

Cristina's mood was foul. With Owen's surprise appearance and being reprimanded in the OR, the night was turning out to be one of the worst of her life. Then, there was Meredith, who was just going on and on about moving in with her boyfriend, Dr. Derek Shepherd.

As much as she tried, she could not get away from Meredith and her incessant chatter. She needed some time for her own thoughts but Meredith was clinging to her like lint on a sweater. She went outside and Meredith was still continuing with all the reasons why she and Derek should not move in together. Cristina had enough.

"Meredith," she yelled. "Shut up! No, just shut up about Derek, shut up about moving in with Derek, shut up about your relationship. I have been having the most terrible night. I almost killed a man in surgery today!"

As Meredith tried to speak again, Cristina cut her off, saying that she just didn't want to hear anymore about the relationship and to shut the hell up. She headed back to the hospital and slipped on the ice. Before she even had a chance to get up, there was a loud cracking sound and a huge icicle that hung from the eave of the roof broke off and impaled the hapless resident on the ground.

Meredith ran back into the hospital, "I'll get some help."

As Cristina lay on the ground, hyperventilating, a familiar face came into her view. "A damsel in distress," he said.

Owen had not left the hospital. He had stayed because he was determined to speak to her. Even if she did not want him, he owed it to her to explain what had happened on her graduation day. He could not bear her hating him anymore. He didn't want her to hurt, when she thought about him.

Cristina could not believe it. She was absolutely mortified that he would see her in such a vulnerable state. The night just kept getting worse and worse, she thought. What had she done to deserve this?

He bent down and gently swooped her up into her arms and carried her back into the hospital. Cristina had no choice but to accept his help.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thanks much. I do enjoy reading them.**


	19. Chapter 19 Learning the truth

**A/N: This has been inspired from the scenarios of the second part of the Season 5 premiere. The situations remain basically the same, as do some of the dialogue. There will be changes in the dialogue because in this universe, Cristina & Owen know each other.**

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><p>Owen carried Cristina into one of the exam rooms and settled her down on the table. Meredith came rushing in to help her friend.<p>

"Put her on a monitor and order a portable chest X-ray. I'm going to cut your top off," Meredith ordered the nurse.

Cristina said, "It's between my 9th and 10th intercostals. There's no hemo- or pneumo-thorax. My vitals are stable; just pull it out."

"I wouldn't," Owen warned. Cristina gave him a disgusted look. "Mind your own business," she told him. He had no right to be ordering the hospital staff around. Why didn't he just go back to the army where he belonged?

Meredith was surprised at the soldier's boldness, "Who is this guy?" She had never seen that guy before and here he was, putting in his two cents.

Cristina answered, quietly, "He's Owen."

"YOUR Owen?" Meredith shrieked.

"He's not MY Owen. He's just Owen," Cristina said. Owen's face broke out into a huge grin. He felt warmed by the fact that her friend knew about him. The only way she could have known was that Cristina had spoken to her about him. It clearly indicated that she had, at least, thought about him over the years.

"Please get this thing out of me. I messed up in front of the Chief once. I messed up a suture and he's looking at me like I am number 12. Mer, please no one gets to see me like this," Cristina pleaded.

It was Cristina's bad luck that Chief Webber came in at that moment, saw her on the table and demanded to know what had happened. Cristina made the effort to tell him that her respiratory function was fine, only to be admonished by her boss.

Then there was the back and forth discussion about whether to pull out the icicle or leave it in. Cristina begged for it to be pulled out, while Owen said it should be left in, until they knew what was going on in the inside.

How dare he keep butting in, Cristina thought. The Chief had the final say and ordered it to be left in, until the x-rays came back. Meredith was given Cristina's Vincent Kenner case and Owen left to have a chat with the Chief, leaving Cristina up to her own thoughts.

Owen was getting her so mad. Why was he sticking his nose in where it was not wanted, she thought, especially for someone she had not seen in over eight years. When did Owen get to be so pushy?

It was bad enough she had to deal with him, let alone these foolish interns, who had brought in the portable x-ray. They clearly did not have a clue what they were doing. She gave them all an evil glare.

When they finally got the x-ray done, the morons did not know how to read it. She wondered how they ever got through medical school. She finally got rid of them by telling them to find someone with a brain, who could actually help her.

The exit of the interns heralded the entry of Owen, who had to make the smart-aleck remark that her interns were scared of her.

"I am not scary and why are you back in here, again?" she asked. Why couldn't he leave her to her misery and go back to Iraq?

With a quick glance over at her x-rays, Owen leaned over her and inched his face closer to her. He seriously does not expect me to kiss him, Cristina thought. She wished she could back away but there was nowhere for her to go. With one swift move, he yanked the icicle out of her chest. To say that she was surprised would be an understatement. The sudden pain of the move forced her to grab his arm.

"My icicle. You pulled out my icicle. I didn't give you permission to do that," she said, with a shocked expression.

"So?" he replied, as he rubbed her wound. She felt she could smack him and would have, were it not for Meredith coming back in to tell her that Vincent had died. Her anger turned to despair.

As he stitched her up, he could sense her mood change. She was no longer fighting him but just seemed resigned to his presence. "Tell me about trauma surgery," she asked.

"Quick and dirty. No time to make things pretty and no time to make mistakes," he said.

"So you're saying you don't make mistakes," she said.

He looked at her, saying, "I make mistakes, people die."

"Huh. I am the best surgical resident in my program and I just killed a man because I didn't know a stitch," she said, very dejected.

He wondered what he could tell her to make her feel better. "When I make mistakes, good guys die but what I learn from it is never to make that mistake again. Mistakes are how you learn."

She didn't seem too comforted, so he continued. "More than eight years ago, I made a decision that seemed to me as one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I broke up with the girl I loved."

She softened her expression and started listening to him because she could hear the pain in his voice.

"It wasn't something that I wanted to do but at the time, I felt it was the right thing to do. I was given a choice and I made the decision because I wanted the best for her," he said. "Now that I see her now, I feel a little bit better about it but it doesn't take away the eight years of hurt and pain that I felt."

She looked at his distressed expression. "I always wanted to know why you did it. You broke my heart into a million pieces," she said.

"I never wanted to break up with you. That day, when I woke up, I would not have imagined the way that day ended for me. It was supposed to be one of the best days of your life. You graduated at the top of your class and everything was going to work out for us that summer. You were going to come live with me for the summer and then start to attend Harvard for the fall. That was our plan. But it seems your mother had other plans," he said, quietly.

"My mother? The witch had something to do with you breaking up with me? She has never said anything about it," Cristina said, shocked.

"Your mother gave me an ultimatum. She told me that I had to break up with you or she was going to cut you off. She was not going to fund you going to medical school or give you any allowances, unless I gave you up. She said you would be forced to work and take loans to be able to go to school and whether that was the life I wanted for you," he said.

Cristina looked at him in disbelief, unable to say anything.

"She also did a background check on me and found out that I still had $200,000 in student loans. She said it was clear that I would not be able to take care of you or pay for your medical school tuition. So, I had a choice to make. I wanted you to be able to fulfil your dreams of becoming a doctor, to become the brilliant cardio surgeon that I knew you were going to be.

"I didn't want to hold you back. I didn't want to be the reason that you were not able to fulfil your dreams. So I made the decision to do what your mother asked. I broke up with you. For years, I felt it was the biggest mistake of my life but now that I see you made it, I feel that maybe my sacrifice was worth it," he said.

"Your sacrifice? What about me?" she said in an anguished voice. "I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't understand how you could say that you wanted to be with me and then you break up with me.

"You gave me a promise ring, Owen. I thought that meant something to you. You told me that you wanted to marry me. You told me that we were going to be together, forever. I thought that it was just words you used to fool a gullible teenager. You were my first love – the person I have loved the most in my life. When you broke up with me, you broke me. I spent weeks in my room, crying for you. Were it not for my step-father, I would have spiralled into a state of despair."

"But I did what I thought was best for you," he pleaded. "I have never forgotten you. I have thought about you, every day."

"Oh, please, you don't have to lie to me to make me feel better," she said.

"Lie? I don't have to lie. I am telling you the truth. Let me prove it to you," he said, digging into his pocket and taking out his wallet. He handed it to her. "Open it and look at it."

She sighed, as she took the wallet from him. What could he have in his wallet to make her change her mind? She opened it and found a picture of her happy, smiling 20-year-old self.

"You have a picture of me? Gosh, I look so young," she said, her voice softening as she lightly touched the old picture.

"I have kept that picture of you in my wallet, since the day we broke up. Do you recognize anything about it?" he asked.

"I think it was taken in Cape Cod," she said, looking at the blue sky and the beach behind her. "I always loved going there."

"Yes, that was your 20th birthday. The last time we went there. We had planned to go back for your 21st birthday at the end of summer but we broke up before that," he said. "I had something really special planned."

"Special? Were you planning to get me drunk, seeing that I could legally drink by then?" she laughed.

"Well, we were going to have some wine, yes but I wasn't going to get you drunk. I had a special present for you," he said. "Actually, I still have it. It's at my mom's house."

"Really? What could be so special?" she said.

"Well, I had finally bought you an engagement ring. I had saved an entire year to buy it," he said. "I was going to give you the ring that I had promised."

She seemed dazed by his admission and was initially dumbstruck. As she caught herself, she was going to say something but was interrupted by the entrance of Chief Webber.

"Dr. Hunt, there you are. How is the gash on your leg?" Webber asked.

"Dr. Yang took good care of me, excellent care," Owen said.

"I made a few phone calls. They speak very highly of you at Maryland Shock Trauma. I also heard a story that you constructed an O.R. table from an exploded Humvee in the middle of the desert, is that true?" Webber said.

Owen said, "Well, you have to be innovative in the middle of the desert."

Webber said, "You have to be innovative everywhere. How would you like a job, Dr. Hunt?"

Owen looked at Cristina, before answering. "I appreciate the offer but I have to go back to the sand pit. Finish my tour."

He could see the disappointment in Cristina's face, as he said it. Webber shook his hand and left the room. Owen removed his gloves, dropped them in the medical waste bin and closed the blinds.

"What?" Cristina said, not understanding why he closed the blinds.

He turned and took her face into his hands and started kissing her. He had not tasted those lips in years and could not imagine that he had lived without them for so long. Cristina felt the same weakness in her knees she always had when she kissed him. Their magic was still there. It was clear that their kissing was building a greater need within them.

Between kisses he whispered, "I'm going back to Iraq, tomorrow but I want to have tonight with you."

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"I want to make love to you. I can't go back without doing that," he said, as he kissed her neck. "Do you want me?"

She nodded, with a smile.

"Where do you live?" he asked.

"Not far from here," she said. She realized that she was going to take him to Burke's apartment but she didn't care. Burke was gone and Owen was here and she loved Owen more.

"Do you have a car? I left my rental at the accident site," he asked, ready to set his plan into action.

"No, Callie, my roommate, usually brings me to work. On the days we're not working the same shift, I ride my motorbike," she said.

"You ride a motorbike? I don't think I am comfortable with that. You can get hurt badly. There is no protection. I would prefer if you no longer ride that motorbike," he said.

"What?" she said.

"I've just found you. I don't want to lose you in any motorbike accident," he said.

"I will think about it," she said, noting his over-protective streak was still intact.

"So we're going to call a taxi to take us over to your apartment," he said, as he took out his phone.

"You do realize that we're both injured," she said.

"Yeah, I know. But I can't leave without being with you again. So we're going to do this, carefully," he said.

She laughed, as she heard him call for a taxi to pick them up. As he hung up, he started kissing her, again.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I really appreciate reading them. Thank you.**


	20. Chapter 20 Together

**A/N: This goes back to AU.**

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><p>She opened the door to reveal her apartment. It was really strange that she was actually bringing another man to Burke's apartment. Scratch that. Burke's former apartment. He no longer lived there and he was long gone. Gone for the last six months.<p>

"Is this a one-bedroom?" Owen asked. "Where does your roommate sleep?"

"She sleeps in the living room on a sofa-bed," Cristina said, pointing to the sofa.

"Will she be back soon?" he asked, a little anxiously, wondering if they were going to be interrupted by the inopportune arrival of a roommate.

"You met her. Callie at the hospital. She won't be back till morning until her shift ends. So we have some privacy before she gets back," Cristina said, as she slowly made her way to her bedroom.

It was a relief that she had made the bed up before she left. It would have been a real embarrassment if she had left in its original unkempt state. Even if they were former lovers, they had not seen each other in years and she would have been ashamed if he had seen it the way it normally was. A girl still had her pride, after all.

He followed her into the bedroom and watched her slowly take off her clothes as she stepped into the bathroom. He took off his clothes and followed her into the shower. As they washed off the day's dirt with a bath sponge, they had to be very careful not to get their wounds wet.

He had not seen her naked in eight years and he marveled at the sight of her body. Other than the wound, her skin was flawless. He never thought that this day would come when they could be together again. He kissed her again and pulled her close to him. It was still hard to believe that it was all real.

She felt the hard muscle of his body, as her arms wrapped around his back. His years in the army had definitely built him up even more. He always had a great body but now he was totally ripped in the arms, chest, legs and shoulders. He was a fine, strapping specimen of a man. She also could not believe that he was really there.

As they dried off and wrapped themselves in towels, he led her to the bed. "We're going to be careful how we do this," he said, as he kissed her neck. "Yes," she agreed, as she buried her face into his chest and breathed in his familiar scent. She had missed the smell of him.

He laid her down on the bed and started kissing her all over, starting from her face, going down on her neck and shoulders, breasts and nipples, stomach and then her sex. As he feasted on her, she closed her eyes in complete bliss. "Owen, I never knew that I missed this so bad," she said. "You are so good." She moaned with pleasure, until she reached that state where she felt she was almost out of her mind, it was so amazing. She was so wet and ready for him.

As he positioned himself above her, he was careful not to rest his full weight on her but supported himself with his arms. As he penetrated her, they both gasped as her warm, wet walls enveloped his throbbing member. "Oh, you feel soooo good," he said. "How did I ever live without you and without this?"

She positioned herself to allow him to go deeper into her. As he slammed into her, she could feel the waves of ecstasy take over her body as her body jerked upwards to meet his. Their bodies were so in sync with each other, it was like if they had never been apart. Their bodies knew each other so well. When they came, it was a release of the hurt that they had felt over the last eight years. They were finally free of feeling that pain.

As they lay next to each other, Cristina rested her head against his chest. "You know that this would not have been possible without the assistance of some great painkillers," she said.

He laughed, "I know. Thank God for painkillers."

They embraced each other in silence, knowing that words were not necessary to express how they felt at that moment. They both fell asleep, more content than they had ever been in years.

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><p>Owen rubbed his eyes. He had slept longer than he had wanted. He looked at the time. "I am running late." He looked at Cristina, snuggled up under his arm. He smiled and kissed her on the nose. He gently shook her.<p>

"Baby, I have got to go," he said. She murmured and stretched like a small puppy. "Why?" she said, woefully.

"I have to catch my transport to go back to Iraq," he said. "I have to stop off at my mom's first and then head to the airport. Do you have a piece of paper?"

"Yeah, on my desk," she said. He grabbed a piece of paper and started writing. "Here is all of my contact information – phone, email, overseas address, every possible piece of contact info." He placed the paper on her bedside table.

"Now, write down yours," he instructed, as he handed her another piece of paper. She did as she was she was told. He safely tucked the information into his shirt pocket. "I am never ever going to lose you, again."

He bent down and kissed her deeply, their tongues entwined together. "I hate leaving you, now that I have just found you." He sighed, as he got up and put his clothes on. "I really need to get a new pair of pants," he laughed, looking at the huge rip at the back of his right leg. "I have a spare uniform at my mom's house."

He looked at her again. "I have never stopped loving you, Cristina."

"I have loved you forever, Owen," she said. He kissed her again. "Goodbye, baby. I will try and call you every week."

"Okay, I love you, Owen Hunt," she said.

"I love you, Cristina Yang," he said, as he tasted her lips once again. She lay back on her bed, as she watched him leave.

Owen closed the bedroom door and was going to open the front door, when he came face to face with Calliope Torres. To say that Callie was shocked to see the army surgeon in her apartment was an understatement and her face showed it.

"Good morning, Dr. Torres," Owen said, feeling a little embarrassed. He had hoped that he would have made it out of there before Cristina's roommate showed up.

"Good morning, Major Hunt," Callie said. He gave her a brief nod, as he exited the apartment.

Callie was not going to let this pass, without asking a few questions. She knocked on Cristina's door. She heard Cristina say, "Owen?"

"No, it's not Owen. Can I come in?" Callie asked.

"Yeah, sure," Cristina said. The painkillers she had taken last night were starting to wear off, and she was starting to feel a twinge of pain from her wound.

Callie came in. "Did Major Hunt stay here last night?" Callie asked, even though she clearly knew the answer.

"Yes," Cristina said, quietly, perfectly aware that Callie was judging her a bit.

"Cristina, you just met the guy. You don't do these things," Callie said, accusingly.

"No, I just didn't meet him. We've known each other for a long time. I met him when I was 18. We were together for nearly three years. He was my first love," Cristina said.

"Wow, oh wow," Callie shrieked. "Your first love. Oh, my God, this is so romantic. You meet again after so many years. I mean, you quit dating after Burke left and then this army guy shows up, one cold, Seattle night and it turns out to be your first love. And he stayed the night. This is straight out of a Danielle Steele novel."

"Oh, please, Callie," Cristina said, in an exasperated tone. "Instead of dissecting my love life, can you give me some painkillers? This wound is starting to kill me."

"Sure," Callie said, even though she was still marveling at the coincidence.

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><p>Cristina had already spent seven days at home, recovering from her wound. She was missing so much surgery and it was worse when the other residents called her and told her about what they were doing. That made her even more envious. She had to be the one, who got impaled by an icicle. What were the freaking odds of that? In fact, what were the odds that she would meet the love of her life again? That, too, had some pretty amazing odds.<p>

Since he had returned to Iraq, Owen had video-called her once. It was so good to see him, even though he was so far away. He said his wound was healing quite nicely because the young resident, who had treated him, was a terrific doctor and was such a cutie. She told him that her wound was also healing because her doctor wasn't half-bad, either. "My doctor was a major hottie," she said. "Major – get it?" They both laughed.

"So you're still at home?" he asked.

"Yup and it is driving me crazy," she said. "I want to cut."

"I get to cut, every day," he said. "But sometimes, I wish that wasn't so. These kids? Their bodies sometimes are so mangled, I sometimes don't know where to start."

"Yeah, but you're the best hope they have and I am glad that you're there to help them. I just miss you and wish you were here," she said, touching the screen with her finger where his face was.

"I miss you too. I just have to finish this year out and I will be back, Cristina," he said. "Getting back to you is all I can think about."

"You better get back here," she said.

"Anyway, my time is up. Somebody else wants to make a call," he said. "Love you."

"Love you. Bye," she said. When the screen went blank, she wiped away the tears that were rolling down her face. If she was a praying kind of girl, she would have dropped on her knees and begged for him to come home, safely. She didn't know she was going to last out this year, waiting for him. Cristina Yang had become a military girlfriend. She wondered where these military wives and girlfriends got the fortitude to withstand the loneliness without their husbands and boyfriends.

A week later, Cristina was back at work. Other than Callie, only Meredith knew about Cristina's history with the mystery soldier surgeon that had appeared that night.

"So how are you holding up?" Meredith asked, as they were walking to the cafeteria.

"I don't know. I just miss him. I mean I just saw him for just one night, but everything I have ever felt about him, has just come back to me. It's like Burke never existed for me," Cristina said.

"And you won't be able to see him until he finishes his tour?" Meredith asked.

"No. Do you know the Chief had offered him a job here?" Cristina said. "I hope that will still be open to him when he comes back."

"Yeah, that would be good for you because we'll only be in third year by then," Meredith said.

They stood in line but somehow, the food looked so unappetizing to Cristina. She just felt sick looking at it.

"Cristina, you're looking a bit green," Meredith said. "Are you sure that you're feeling alright to come back to work?"

"I don't know but everything is just making me feel sick. I think I will just have a grilled chicken sandwich and a Coke," Cristina said.

"Go and sit down, I will bring it for you," Meredith said.

Cristina sat down and she was quickly joined by Alex, Izzie and George at her table. She wished that they hadn't because the smell of their food was making her feel nauseous. She got up and moved to another table. The three residents looked at her in surprise.

"Did we say something to offend you?" Izzie asked her.

"No, Iz, I am just not feeling well," Cristina said, putting her head on the table.

"Are you sure that you should have come back to work?" George asked, in a concerned tone. "Maybe you're not fully healed."

"I feel okay. It's just being around the food is making me feel all kinds of vile on the inside," Cristina said. Meredith brought across the sandwich and the Coke. Cristina eagerly grabbed the Coke and took a sip.

"Maybe my blood sugar is low," Cristina said. "I didn't have breakfast this morning."

"Maybe," Meredith said. "You have that surgery with Hahn this afternoon. Can you handle it?"

"Yes," Cristina said. "I just have to eat this sandwich." She forced herself to eat that bland grilled chicken sandwich. She knew she would not have been able to keep anything else down.

After several weeks of not feeling well and finding out that she was not suffering from some stomach bug, she knew that there was a possibility. She grabbed the pregnancy kit from the supply room, shoved it in her lab coat pocket and went to the restroom. She locked herself in a stall and did the needful.

Waiting for that result seemed like an eternity. She had taken a chance when she and Owen had sex that night. Since Burke had left, she quit using birth control because she hadn't felt like dating after him.

She stared at the stick – the result was clear. A positive sign was visible on the window of the stick.

She had played the odds and had lost. She knew she now had a decision to make.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments**.


	21. Chapter 21 The pregnancy

"I am going to keep it but I don't think I am going to tell him, Meredith," Cristina said.

"Excuse me, what did you just say? You're not going to tell him? He is the father, he has to know!" Meredith shrieked.

"Well, at least not right now," Cristina said. "He's dealing with so much across there, trying to save lives. I really don't want to him worrying about me. Besides, it's early days yet. I am only eight weeks and you know what happened the last time."

"Maybe that's wise. You don't want to get his hopes up and then you have another miscarriage," Meredith said.

"Yeah, I think I will wait until I am past the first trimester and then tell him. I will tell him when I am about four months. I would be safely out of the first trimester and well into the second trimester. I don't want to worry him, unnecessarily," Cristina said. "In the meantime, I hope I can get the support from you and Callie."

"I am pretty sure George and Izzie will want to help, too," Meredith said.

"The only thing, Meredith, nobody must know who the father of the baby is. I am going to pass it off as a one-night stand. Only you and Callie know the truth. I want to avoid all the questions about the father," Cristina said.

"Okay, that's fine," Meredith said.

They both went back to work. Since the day Cristina found out about the pregnancy, she had been in a quandary on what to do. If she kept the baby, she was going to go through this entire pregnancy alone because Owen was in Iraq and would not be back in the US for another 10 months. If she terminated, her life would be easier and she could go back to her normal resident routine but she felt the guilt of terminating Owen's baby would consume her.

There was another thought that was in the back of her mind. There was a possibility that Owen could die in Iraq and the baby would be the last piece of him that she would ever have. She shuddered at the thought but she knew it could happen.

The first person she told was Meredith and she was also going to have to tell Callie because they both knew the truth. Izzie, Alex and George would just have to assume that it was a one-night stand because they knew that she was not involved with anyone at the present time.

When she told the other residents that she was pregnant, they were quite concerned, given that they knew about her past history. Izzie said immediately that she would do all she could to help. George did, too.

Alex said if he would be okay with going to the birthing classes with her, if she needed. That surprised her, given the snarky exchanges both she and Alex had shared in the past.

When she told Callie, the fifth-year resident was beyond ecstatic. Callie knew immediately who the father of the baby was, since she encountered him trying to make his early morning departure from their apartment.

"Does he know?" Callie asked, excitedly. She already had visions of a cute half-Asian baby living in their apartment.

"No, he doesn't and I don't plan on telling him, until I get past the first trimester. I don't want to add to his anxiety, while he is across there," Cristina said. "By the way, if anyone asks you who the father of this baby is, just tell them that you don't know."

"Okay, if that is the way you want it," Callie said. She rubbed her hands in glee. "I can't wait to throw the baby shower."

Cristina was horrified at the thought but she let it go for the moment. They could argue about any pending baby showers in the future, she figured. She just had to get through the first three months, unscathed.

* * *

><p>When she hit four months, she figured it was probably time to tell Owen. The chances of her having a miscarriage had significantly dropped. She was awaiting her regular once-a-week video call and she was excited. Today was the day that she was going to tell him that he was going to be a father.<p>

So she waited at her computer for their appointed call time. She waited and waited and waited. She waited for 45 minutes. This was so unlike Owen. He was very punctual whenever he called her because he knew she was a busy resident. She was getting worried. What had delayed Owen that he could not call?

She went back to work, with a heavy heart. She was heading down to the lobby when she saw a familiar face, she had not seen since she was 20. It was Mrs. Hunt, talking to one of the nurses. The woman certainly looked older and her hair had gone grey.

"Mrs. Hunt, do you need some help?" she called out to the woman. Joanna looked around to see his son's girlfriend. She could never mistake those bouncing, ebony curls as the young woman ran to greet her.

"Cristina," Joanna said. "I have come to see you. Owen told me that you worked here, the last time he was on leave. I didn't have any numbers to contact you, so I came down here. I have a bit of news for you."

"Okay, let's go have a seat," Cristina said, ushering the woman to a chair in the lobby.

"Owen told me that he had re-connected with you the last time he was here and you are together, again. He was very lost without you and that was the happiest I ever saw him in years, when he talked about meeting you again," Joanna said. "You make my son happy."

"He makes me happy, too," Cristina said, starting to feel a little bit anxious. What was this news that Joanna felt the need to come down to the hospital to tell her?

"I got some news, today," Joanna said, her blue eyes starting to well up with tears.

"Is he dead?" Cristina said, quietly. Her eyes were starting to fill up, too.

"No, he has been taken. There was a raid on the medical compound and he was one of three doctors taken by insurgents to help tend their casualties," Joanna said, her voice breaking. She started to weep, uncontrollably, bringing her hands up to her face. Cristina put her arm around the woman, her own tears starting to fall freely.

"At least he's not dead," Cristina said, trying to console herself.

"The army said that they would probably keep him alive because they need his skills, so that's a good thing," Joanna said.

"What are they doing to get them back?" Cristina said. "They have to be doing something."

"They said as soon as they can get positive confirmation about where they are being held, they will be doing all they can to rescue them," Joanna said. "That can't come soon enough."

The two women held each other, as they remembered the man that they both loved.

"You've grown up into a fine, young woman, Cristina," Joanna said. "You're a doctor, now. The last time I saw you, you looked like you could still be in high school and look at you, now. I had my doubts about you but I am so glad you proved me wrong."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said. "There is something I would like to share with you." She had decided in that split second that she would tell Owen's mother about the baby. It would provide some sort of comfort to the older woman, she felt. She took Joanna's hand and rested it on her stomach. Joanna was startled when she felt the baby bump.

"You're pregnant? Is Owen the father?" Joanna asked, hopefully. Her blue eyes widened and her whole demeanor changed from abject sorrow to utter happiness.

"Yes, I am pregnant. Four months. And yes, Owen is the father. We spent the night together the last time he was here and he is the only man I have been with," Cristina said.

"Does he know?" Joanna asked, still unable to fully grasp this major piece of miraculous news.

"No," Cristina said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I was going to tell him today when he was supposed to call but I got no call. I was waiting to get out of my first trimester before I told him and now, he may never know."

"Hush, child. Don't cry. Let's not give up hope. They will find him and rescue him. I am so happy for you and Owen. My first grandchild," the older woman said, with a smile that quickly replaced her tears. "You've made me very happy."

The two women embraced.

* * *

><p>Cristina paged Callie and Meredith to the residents' lounge. When they came, they were shocked at Cristina's tear-streaked face.<p>

"What's the matter?" Meredith said, running to sit next to her friend.

"Owen's gone missing. Insurgents raided the combat hospital compound and kidnapped three doctors. Owen was one of the doctors," Cristina said. "I was going to tell him about the baby today."

"How did you find out about Owen?" Callie asked.

"Owen's mother came to the hospital. She was told by the army that he was taken," Cristina said.

"Are they doing something to find them?" Meredith said.

"Yes but I don't know how long that will take," Cristina said, bursting into tears again.

Meredith and Callie surrounded Cristina and hugged her. They started crying because Cristina was crying. Though they didn't really know Owen, they knew and loved Cristina and they hurt for her.

"What if he dies?" Cristina cried. "He will never know about this baby. How am I going to raise this baby by myself?"

"We will be here to help you," Callie said. "We'll always help you."

"Yes," Meredith agreed. "And George, Izzie and Alex will help, too. I know they will."

* * *

><p>The pregnancy progressed as well as it could under the circumstances. Cristina made the decision to finally tell George, Izzie and Alex who the father was and what had happened to him. They, along with Callie and Meredith, banded together to provide Cristina with the support she needed to get through the pregnancy. She was never alone when she went to the obstetrician's appointment – one of them was always with her. They each took turns in attending the birthing classes with her. They each did it because they were never sure who would be free to stay with her, when the time came for the baby to be delivered. In a way, it became their baby.<p>

The months passed and she had heard no word about Owen. She would call Mrs. Hunt every week to find out if there was anything new. The answer was always the same - no news. Mrs. Hunt would always ask about how she was coping with the pregnancy. She would always tell Mrs. Hunt that everything was going fine.

She was in the OR, when she felt the first contraction. She wanted to finish this surgery, as she was unwilling to show any weakness in front of Hahn but the pain was becoming unbearable. It was George, who was also in the OR, who noticed her discomfort. He asked with his eyes if she was alright. She answered in the negative with her pained eyes.

"Dr. Hahn, I think that Dr. Yang needs to leave the OR. I will take over, holding the clamp," George said.

"What's the matter, Yang?" Hahn said, brusquely.

"I think I am going to have the baby," Cristina said, weakly.

"Get out of here, now," Hahn yelled. "Someone page Grey and Torres and tell them their friend needs them now."

"Will do," a surgical nurse replied.

"Where are you going, now?" George asked, as Cristina left.

"OB, George, OB," Cristina said, as she stripped off the surgical gown.

Cristina was limping along to the OB ward when Alex spotted her, holding on to the wall.

"What's happening? Is it time? Is it coming?" Alex said, excitedly. He grabbed a wheelchair from an indignant orderly, who backed off when Alex gave him a deadly stare.

Cristina was grateful for the wheelchair, as Alex sped off to OB. As they got there, Meredith and Callie were already there, waiting.

"We got here and they said you weren't here," Meredith shrieked. "What took you so long?"

"I was trying to make it down to OB on my own but walking was taking a really long time. Good thing I met Alex on the way and he provided me with some form of transportation," Cristina said.

"Good job, Alex," Callie said, slapping him on the back.

They got her settled into a room. Meredith paged Izzie, who came running and tripped on the way in. Twenty minutes later, George came rushing in, after finishing the surgery with Hahn. They were all extremely excited; their baby was coming!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading. Please leave your reviews. Next chapter is the delivery of the baby and news of Owen finally reaches Cristina.**


	22. Chapter 22 Welcome to the world

Cristina had never imagined that when she would be ready to deliver her first child, the father of her baby would not be around. Instead, she was surrounded by her friends, none of whom were related to her by blood or marriage but were only there because of love.

The four third-year residents and the orthopedic attending eagerly awaited the OB's report on Cristina's status.

"Hmm," Dr. Kazanjian said. "You have a long way to go again, Dr. Yang. It looks like it might be quite a number of hours again." The residents and the attending all groaned, loudly.

Dr. Kazanjian turned to the nurse, "Keep me posted on how she is progressing and give her the epidural, when she needs it." He left the room, amazed at the number of surgeons that had gathered in the room. Didn't they have other things to do, like operating on people, instead of waiting around for a baby to arrive?

"So what are we going to do, now?" Alex asked. "We can't just wait here until she is ready to pop."

Callie piped up. "Okay, okay, I am the grown-up here, I guess. Everyone can't stay here, since we all have surgeries or post-ops or charting to do, so we will take shifts. One person will stay with her at all times. When she is finally ready to have the baby, the person on duty will page the rest of us. Does that sound like a good idea?"

Everyone agreed. Izzie asked, "Who is going to take the first shift?"

Meredith put up her hand, "I will. I am free for about one hour." The rest of the surgeons filed out and went back to their other duties.

"Meredith, can you do me a favor?" Cristina asked. She was still getting a contraction here and there but it wasn't that bad, she thought.

"When I am closer to delivering the baby, can you call Mrs. Hunt?" Cristina said, taking her phone from the nightstand and handing it to Meredith. "Her number is in there. If Owen can't be here, she should be here to represent him. Besides, I think this baby means as much to her as it does to me."

"Sure," Meredith said. "What about your mother and step-dad?"

"We'll call them after the baby is born. My mother was not too pleased when she found out who the father of this baby was. She thought she got rid of him, years ago," Cristina said. "But I guess it was just meant to be."

"I guess something must be said for fate and destiny," Meredith said, as she settled down into a chair.

The four residents and Callie each took their turns in staying with Cristina. They were getting anxious – Cristina's baby seemed to be taking forever. They each took a second shift. It was in the 10th hour during Callie's shift that things seemed to be kicking up a notch.

Dr. Kazanjian took a look. "Ten cm. I think you're ready to push."

Callie started jumping up and down with excitement and paged the four residents. On getting the page, Meredith made a phone call to Mrs. Hunt.

"Mrs. Hunt, you don't know me," she started. "I am Cristina's best friend, Meredith. She is having the baby, right now. So if you want to come down to the hospital, I think she would like to see you."

Joanna was ecstatic. "Oh, thank you for calling me. I will be there in half an hour. I am so happy. My first grandchild! Thank you."

Meredith ran to the OB ward. This time, she was the one, who tripped on her way in. She picked herself off the floor and ran to Cristina's room.

"Our baby's coming!" she yelled, as she entered the room.

"Meredith, I could do without the shrieking. I am in pain, here. Did you do what I told you to do?" Cristina asked.

"Yup, I called her. She said she will be here in half an hour," Meredith said.

"Who will be here?" Izzie asked, with a puzzled expression. Everyone who was supposed to be here, was already here, she thought.

"The baby daddy's mama," Meredith said.

"The Major's mom?" George said. "The kid's grandma is coming. That is cool."

Dr. Kazanjian looked around at all of the eager faces. "I am sorry but you all can't stay in here. Dr. Yang, please choose two people to stay with you. The rest will have to stay in the waiting room."

Cristina looked around at her friends. They had all been so great to her in her time of need. "Sorry to do this, guys, but I have to choose Meredith and Callie."

George, Izzie and Alex filed out of the room. "I can't believe I went to those birthing classes for nothing," Alex grumbled.

"You can keep Mrs. Hunt company when she arrives," Cristina said. "She won't be allowed in the room, either. Please treat her nice, guys. I am counting on you."

"Okay," Izzie said, a little crushed that she was not allowed to stay in the room.

Mrs. Hunt arrived about 25 minutes later in the waiting room area. She looked flushed as if she had been running. Izzie knew that the woman had to be the Major's mom.

"Mrs. Hunt," Izzie called out.

Joanna did not recognize the tall blonde resident. "Yes," she answered. "Anything on Cristina?"

"Well, she is going to deliver any minute now. They kicked us out of the room. But you can stay with us, if you like. Can I get you some coffee?" Izzie asked.

"Yes, please, thank you. And you are?" Joanne replied.

"Oh, I am sorry. I am Izzie Stevens, one of Cristina's friends. This is George and Alex, we're all residents together," Izzie said.

"Very nice to meet you, Izzie, George and Alex," Joanna said, as she took a seat next to George. "I guess we will all just have to wait."

Meredith sat behind Cristina, supporting her back, while Callie held her hand. Callie thought she got the raw end of the deal because despite Cristina's tiny size, she still had a lot of strength in her small hands.

"You don't have to squeeze my hand so hard," Callie complained, as she pulled her hand away from her roommate.

"You try getting a baby with a head the size of a bowling ball out of your vagina and you will understand what I am doing here," Cristina yelled back. She screamed as she pushed.

"You can do it, Cristina," Meredith encouraged. "Push!"

Cristina screamed again.

"I am seeing the top of the head," Dr. Kazanjian said. "Just push and let's get that head out. Push, Dr. Yang."

Cristina gave one giant push and the head popped out. "Let's ease those shoulders out," Dr. Kazanjian said. Cristina gave another push and the rest of the baby came out. The doctor cut the umbilical cord and handed the baby to a nurse. "It's a boy, Dr. Yang."

The baby was not crying and Cristina was alarmed by his silence.

"Is he okay?" she shrieked. The nurse cleared his nostrils. She gave him a little rub. The baby made a small cry, followed by a loud cry.

"Ah, yes, the baby is okay," Dr. Kazanjian said. The nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket and brought him for Cristina to see, laying him on her chest. Callie, Meredith and Cristina stared at the baby's face.

"Wow, he's got so much black hair," Meredith said. "Just like you."

"Hey, little fella," Cristina said, stroking her baby's face. "You got Mummy worried there for a little bit."

"He is beautiful," Callie said. "I am going let the rest of the guys know." She left the room.

"Dr. Yang, we will be taking him to have him checked out," the nurse said. "We will bring him to your room as soon as we are through."

Callie went out into the waiting room. "It's a boy," she screamed. "And he is beautiful. He has tons of black hair." Izzie started clapping, Alex and George slapped each other on their backs and Joanna started crying, wishing Owen had been there for this moment.

"When can we see him?" Joanna asked, tears of joy rolling down her cheek.

"In a little bit. I think they probably took him to have him checked out. It shouldn't be long," Callie said.

An hour or so later, they brought the baby to Cristina's room. Alex, George, Izzie and Mrs. Hunt were there.

"Oh, my," George said to Cristina. "He is huge. I don't know how someone as small as you pushed that out of your body."

Cristina said, "I can't believe it either. Nine pounds even."

Joanna said, "Owen was a big baby, too. My grandson. I am so happy."

"Do you want to hold him?" Cristina asked. Joanna nodded, happily, as she took the baby into her arms.

"What is his name, Cristina?" Alex asked.

"His name is Dylan Hunt," she said. "Dylan Owen Hunt."

While everyone fussed over the baby, Cristina was overcome with sadness when she said her baby's middle name. Her baby was here but his father was not. She started crying.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Izzie asked and went to hug her.

"I just miss Owen," she said. Joanna handed her the baby and put him in her arms.

"Owen is here in this baby," Joanna said, stroking the baby's full head of hair. "He is the proof that Owen is here."

Cristina kissed the baby on his head but she continued crying. Izzie, Alex and George looked at each other and wondered what to do. When they left, Izzie said, "Let's meet with Meredith and Callie, our work is not yet done."

* * *

><p>When Cristina returned home to the apartment, it seemed like the place had suddenly shrunk. Their living quarters had become much too small for three people. Izzie found a two-bedroom apartment in a building just across from the hospital. They all got together to move Cristina, Callie and Dylan into the new apartment.<p>

Cristina, they realized, was still extremely sad. She wasn't sad about the baby; in fact, he was the major light of her life and the only reason she kept on going. She was sad because she missed Owen and the idea that she would have to raise this baby as a single mother, was becoming a reality and the thought overwhelmed her.

Her friends knew how emotionally down she was, so they developed a schedule where each of them would stay with her on their days off to help her with the baby. Alex remarked that he was now a champion diaper changer, while George knew exactly what to do to get the baby to go to sleep. Callie would give her a break from taking care of the baby, after she came home from shift. Even Joanna would come and visit and spend the day with her grandchild. She and Cristina had become closer with the younger woman, now calling her by her first name.

The baby was growing fast. He was a happy baby and hardly cried. He was used to being handled by all of his different caretakers but he knew which one was his mummy. He knew her scent and she was the one who used to take him to her breast and nurse him. He stared at her, whenever he nursed. Cristina looked at his eyes – they seemed like they could be blue. Blue like his father's.

It was moments like these that Cristina would remember Owen and it made her want to cry. The baby was already two-and-a-half months old and still, there was no word from the army about Owen's fate and whereabouts. He was still considered MIA and a prisoner of war.

Cristina's nights were always restless. She often had dreams of Owen – some were good like the ones where Owen was with her and the baby and there were the horrible ones, where his mangled body lay on the side of a dusty road in Iraq. She would wake up, screaming when she had those. Callie would come in and stay with her, until she fell asleep again.

One night, during one of her dreams, the phone rang. Her unconscious mind didn't know whether it was a phone in her dreams or a real phone. The persistent ringing finally roused her from her sleep. She groaned as she reached over and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, this better be good," she said, thinking it was one of her fellow residents. "Not prepared to hear some crap this hour of the morning."

"Cristina!" the person said.

"Joanna," Cristina said, now fully awake. "What's wrong?" It was odd that Owen's mom would be calling her at 3 a.m.

"He's alive! I just got the call from the army! He was rescued! He's heading to Germany now, where he will be debriefed and get a full medical check-up! He is alive, Cristina and he will be coming home," Joanna said, excitedly.

"Thank you," Cristina said, quietly. The tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you for telling me."

"Bye, Cristina," Joanna said. "We will have a big celebration when he comes back."

"Bye, Joanna. And yes, we will," Cristina agreed.

She got up and stood over her son's crib. "Your daddy is coming home, Dylan. He's coming home!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate reading them. They help me want to continue.**


	23. Chapter 23 Coming home

Owen stepped off the plane and breathed in the cool Seattle air. It was nearly a full year since he was last there. A year ago, he had reunited with Cristina on the chilly Seattle night at the hospital. A year ago, his life changed for the better until he went back to Iraq and got captured, four months later.

He had been captured specifically for his skills. He, Dr. Cooper and Dr. Thomas, had been taken from the combat hospital, where they operated. As prisoners needed for their particular skills, they were relatively well-treated. They were given regular meals and clean clothes.

When he was captured, they made the three doctors change out of their fatigues and into similar clothing that their captors wore. One of the guards had taken Owen's wallet from him.

"Please," Owen said. "Can I have that back? You can take the money. I just want the pictures in it."

The guard looked at the pictures and Owen's pleading face. He knew that it was the doctor's woman. He took out the money and tossed back the wallet to Owen. He clutched on to it, tightly.

"Thank you," Owen said. He opened the wallet. There were now two pictures in the wallet. The first picture was the old Cape Cod photo he had of Cristina and the second was a new one he had taken of her when he saw her in Seattle. It was one of her sleeping. She looked like an angel, with her raven curls framing her face. He took the chance of taking her photo with his phone and then printed it out later so he could keep it in his wallet.

The days turned into months and the only thing that kept him going was the thought that Cristina was in Seattle waiting for him. Before he went to sleep at night, he would look at the photos.

Dr. Cooper noticed him, staring at Cristina's photos. "Is that your girlfriend or your wife?"

"My girlfriend; when I get out of here, I am going to make her my wife," Owen said.

"You're so sure we are ever getting out of here?" Cooper asked.

"I have to believe that. I have to believe that we are going to be rescued and I am going back to her. I lost her once and I am never going to lose her again," Owen said. "It is what keeps me going. That belief that I will be with her once again."

"I am a single man," Cooper said. "There is no one waiting for me back home, except my parents and my two sisters. I broke my mother's heart when I joined the army because I was her only son. Now, I wish that I had taken that job in Chicago, instead of being stuck here. It has already been eight months since we were captured."

"We just have to hold on. They are going to come for us," Owen said, as he put away his wallet. "I am sure of it."

* * *

><p>That very night, they were rescued. After their rescue, they were sent to Germany to be debriefed about their time in captivity, they were each given a medical check up and booked on transport to head back home. Owen's time in the army was over.<p>

He called his mother.

"Mom!" he exclaimed.

"Owen, son, I am so happy to hear your voice," Joanna said on the other end, her voice had broken down into sobs.

"It's okay, Mom. I am okay. Just wanted to tell you that I will be home, very soon. Maybe tomorrow or in two days time," Owen said.

"Owen, I will be so happy to see you," Joanna said. "What about Cristina? I already told her that you were rescued and you were coming home."

"Mom, don't tell her exactly when I am coming home. I want to surprise her," Owen said.

"Okay," his mother said. "I won't be able to sleep until I see your face."

"Bye, Mom. I will see you soon," Owen said.

So, there he was, breathing in the cool Seattle air. It felt refreshing after being in the desert. He picked up his duffel bag and headed out of the airport, on his way home. He grabbed a taxi and headed straight to his mother's house. It was late, maybe after midnight by the time he saw the familiar façade of his mother's house.

He rang her bell once, twice, three times. He was excited to see her. He could hear the sounds of her from inside, coming to the door.

She opened the door, "I knew it was you!" She started crying as they hugged each other, tightly.

"I am so happy to be home, Mom. I am never leaving again," Owen said. They hugged each other, silently, as the tears flowed from the both of them.

When they broke apart, Owen came into the house. "The old homestead looks the same," he said. He tossed his duffel bag on the couch.

"Are you hungry, son?" Joanna asked.

"No, I got something to eat already. Mom, do you remember that small package that I gave to you, years ago to keep for me? Could you get it for me?" Owen asked.

"The ring? You're going to give it to Cristina? You're going to ask her to marry you?" Joanna said, her face lighting up at the prospect.

"Yes, mom. This has been in a long time coming," he said. Joanna immediately disappeared into her bedroom and quickly brought out a small red velvet case and handed it to Owen.

He opened it and looked at the ring. Nine years ago, he had bought that ring for his girl. He had saved an entire year to buy that ring. He had been ready to propose to her, then, as he was now. He tucked the ring away in his pants pocket.

"You didn't tell Cristina when I was coming home, right?" Owen asked.

"No," Joanna said. "She just knows that you're supposed to come home, soon."

"Good," Owen said. "I am going to surprise her."

"She has a surprise for you, too," Joanna said, declining to explain any further. It was Cristina's prerogative to tell Owen about the baby.

"Really? Must be some huge banner sign, welcoming me back," he laughed. "I wonder if she is at work. I better check there first, before I check her apartment."

"Oh, no, she is not at the hospital. She is on leave, right now. She is at her apartment," Joanna said.

"Okay, then. I will go straight to her apartment," Owen said.

"Well, she moved. She lives across the street from the hospital in that building. Her apartment number is 502," Joanna said.

"All of that happened, while I was away? I hope it is a bigger apartment," Owen said. "In her last apartment, her roommate was sleeping in the living room."

"Well, you'll see it when you get there," Joanna said. "Take my car and you can drive across there."

"Thanks, mom," Owen said. He went and picked up the car keys and headed out to the garage. As he drove out of the garage, he was beyond exhilarated to see Cristina. He quickly got to the apartment building and parked in one of the visitors' spaces. He looked across at the hospital and he reminded himself that he needed to check with Chief Webber to find out whether the job offer at the hospital still stood.

He was lucky that someone was coming out at the same time he was going in, so there was no need to buzz Cristina to let her know that he was downstairs. It was going to be a great surprise. He found apartment 502 and knocked on the door. It was quiet on the inside, then he heard the sound of someone opening an internal door. He had butterflies in his stomach.

Cristina wondered who could it be that was knocking on her door. She stared at the radio/clock in the kitchen. It was only 1 a.m. She hoped that the knocking was not going to wake up Dylan. If he managed to sleep a couple of hours without waking up, she was grateful.

She opened the door and her mouth dropped open; she was speechless.

"I am home, baby," he said, as he picked her up off the floor and hugged her, tightly. Cristina started crying. She couldn't believe he was right here, holding her so tightly. He put her down and started kissing away her tears.

"Don't cry, baby. I am never leaving you again," he said. He reached down and kissed her softly on the mouth, before deepening their kiss. He loved her so much, he never imagined that he could love someone as much as he loved her.

"I love you, Owen," she said, between kisses.

"I love you, Cristina, more than you could ever imagine," he said. "This is why I am going to do this."

He dug into his pocket, dropped to one knee and opened the ring box. "Cristina Yang, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

She looked at him, her eyes lit up and a huge smile enveloped her face. "Yes, yes, yes!" she said, kissing him on the mouth. He slipped the ring on her finger.

It was at that moment baby Dylan woke up and started to cry.

Owen heard the cry and was surprised. "Do you have the tv on?"

Cristina shook her head and smiled. "Come, I want you to meet someone." She took his hand and pulled him into her bedroom. When he saw the crib, he was shocked.

Cristina picked up the baby, who stopped crying once his mom held him. "Owen, I would like you to meet your son, Dylan." She handed him the baby. Owen could not speak. He stared down at the baby, who stared right back up at him. He looked at the baby's blue eyes, which were the same shade as his own.

"Mine?" he said. "My son, Dylan?" He was looking for reassurance from Cristina.

"Yes, he is yours, Owen. I got pregnant the night we met again. I was going to tell you about him after the first trimester but you were captured. It was hard being without you but my friends helped me with him," she said.

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't here with you," he said, stroking the baby's cheek.

"It's okay. It couldn't be helped. You are here, now," she said. Owen held the baby with one arm and wrapped his other arm around his fiancée.

"You have made me the happiest man in the world," he told her, kissing her on her forehead. He remembered when he first met her when she was 18 years old. It took them 12 years to get to this point.

"I better get him his bottle," Cristina said. "You stay with him and get to know him better." She left the room and quickly returned with a warmed bottle. She gave it to him. "I guess you should feed your son."

Owen sat on the bed and watched the baby's mouth grab hungrily at the nipple of the bottle. "He's got a good appetite," Owen said. "How old is he now?"

"He's almost 12 weeks old, which means I am going back to work next week and he will have to go to hospital daycare," Cristina said.

"No, I have the time to take care of him. I am hoping that your Chief's offer of a job still stands and I will be able to work at the hospital," Owen said. "But till then, I am more than capable of looking after my son."

After having his bottle, Owen rocked his baby to sleep in his arms and then put him in his crib.

"Are you hungry? I think I can scrounge up something in the refrigerator," she said.

"No, I am only hungry for one thing," he said, as he gently pushed her on to the bed.

"Oh, that," she said. "I guess I am hungry for that, too."

He took off his clothes and then her own. "You are so beautiful and I love you so much," he said.

"I love you, Owen. Don't ever leave me again," she said.

They spent the rest of the night, making love and then falling asleep in each other's arms. It was one of those nights when all of Cristina's dreams were magical.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I really do appreciate them. Thank you.**


	24. Chapter 24 Before the wedding

Cristina, Callie, Meredith and Izzie had gone to Vegas for the bachelorette party. It had taken a lot of persuasion to make Cristina go to Vegas, especially since she was only back on the job for two months. She was certain that she was going to miss out on some awesome surgery. But in the end, they wore her down and they headed to Vegas. They told her that her wedding was only a week away and this was her last time to be a little wild as a single woman.

Owen, who had started working at Seattle Grace as the head of trauma, volunteered to stay home with his now five-month-old son. While he didn't officially live at Cristina and Callie's apartment, he spent more time there than he did at his mom's house. It was hard for him to break himself away from his fiancée and his son.

Owen was not planning to have a bachelor party. He hardly knew the other male doctors at Seattle Grace and they did find him a little rough around the edges. He had met Shepherd and Sloan, with whom he already had a few clashes. For now, they were colleagues and he wouldn't have called them friends. Still, he enjoyed his job at Seattle Grace, especially now that he had the chance to be with the woman he loved.

Dylan got along really well with his father. It was as if the baby instinctively knew who the man was. He would coo happily in his father's arms. With just him and Dylan alone in the apartment, it was going to be major bonding time between father and son.

In Vegas, the drinking had already started for the other three girls but not for Cristina. She had stopped drinking completely when she was pregnant and after the baby was born, she didn't really drink much because Dylan was breastfeeding. She had only one glass of wine. It was just as well, the other girls were getting plastered and she was the one to ensure that they got back to their suite, that night.

As she lay in her bed that night, she thought about how much she missed her fiancé and her baby. She called, even though it was 3 a.m. in the morning. Owen groggily answered the phone.

"Hello, this better be Cristina," he said. "Only person I am going to forgive for waking me up at this hour."

"It's me," she said. "How is my baby?"

"He's doing great. He only got up once for the night so far. How is your bachelorette party going?" he asked.

"It's alright. They are certainly having a great time. We went to a strip club and a guy shook his ass in my face," she said. "I guess that was my major highlight of the night."

"Some random stripper shook his ass in your face? I really don't like the sound of that," he said.

"I gave him some money to go away," Cristina said. "I only like you to shake your ass in my face."

"Thank you, I guess," he said, chuckling at the thought.

"I can't wait to come home, tomorrow," she said. "I miss you guys so much. I think the girls are having a better time than me. I think I would have rather spent the time with my two guys."

"We miss you, too," Owen said. "Can't wait to see you, tomorrow, too."

They bade each other good night.

* * *

><p>It was a hectic week before the wedding, which was being held on Saturday. It was going to be a simple garden wedding with only friends and family. Cristina had handed over the reins of the wedding to a professional wedding planner. Besides, she was a busy surgeon and she didn't have time for all of this. She had only a few words of instruction to the planner – simple, tasteful and elegant. Izzie had volunteered but Cristina was afraid that she was going to end up with a huge wedding with all of the trappings – something that Cristina did not want.<p>

The wedding planner came to the hospital, showed her all of what she had done – the flowers, the decoration, the seating arrangements, the food, the music, the photographer and the videographer. The woman obviously knew what she was doing. Cristina listened intently, made a few minor changes and sent the planner on her way to do her bidding.

The only thing that Cristina really cared about was her dress. She was not a frou-frou kind of girl. She hated all of the fussy lace and trimmings. Even if she wasn't a frou-frou kind of girl, she still wanted her dress to be beautiful. Every girl wants that.

She decided on a Grecian-style flowing ivory dress, which was fitted at the top and embellished at the waist. She was not going to be trapped in some uncomfortable dress for several hours. Her maid of honor was going to Meredith, with Callie and Izzie as bridesmaids. Groomsmen were Alex and George, with the best man being Owen's best friend from since his college days - Josh.

The day before the wedding, Josh came to meet Owen at the hospital. They went across to the Emerald City Bar, across the street from the hospital. They both sat at the bar and Owen ordered drinks from Joe, the bartender/owner of the place. Josh looked around and observed how many medical personnel were at the bar.

"So is this the official hangout for the staff of the hospital?" Josh asked.

"I guess so. I was introduced to it, the first week I started working at the hospital. Also, Cristina's apartment is really close by," Owen said.

"So you're finally getting married to the girl of your dreams," Josh said. "I never thought that you two were going to end up together, after the way her mom tore into you and broke you guys up."

"Yeah, me too. I thought she was lost to me, forever. It was just fate that brought us back together," Owen said.

"And you have a little son," Josh said.

"Yup, he is the light of my life. Dylan Owen Hunt," Owen chuckled. "Going to be six months old in a little bit. So how are things going on your end? At Columbia Presbyterian?"

"Professionally, things are going fine. Personally, not so good. Laura and I are getting a divorce," Josh said.

"Ooh, sorry to hear that. What about the twins? How are they taking it?" Owen asked.

"Well, they are eight years old, so they are taking a little bit hard," Josh admitted.

"What went wrong?" Owen asked, hoping he could learn from his friend's mistakes.

"I guess being a surgeon's wife can be tough, especially when you're not in the medical field. Husband gone for long hours and she was left at home, raising the kids," Josh said. "She just got tired of being alone and we drifted apart. Other than the kids, we didn't have much in common, anymore. Sorry to bring you down with my problems. But you won't have that problem, my friend. Your girl works in the same field as you do; she understands the long hours and the pressures of the job."

"Yeah, well, so far, we've been working together at the hospital, it has been good. Since I am an attending and the head of trauma, I am essentially her boss when she works on my service. That has its problems because any grudge she has from work, she can sometimes take it out on me at home," Owen said, grinning. "Denial of sex is a strong weapon in her arsenal."

Josh chuckled.

"Hey, what about your future in-laws? Have you spoken or seen them, since the big blow up 10 years ago?" Josh asked.

"Nope, Cristina told me that her mom wasn't too happy when she found out who the baby's daddy was. I guess she still thinks I am not worthy," Owen said. "When I first met her all those years ago, Cristina warned me how bitchy her mom could be. I didn't believe her. I was so confident that I was going to win over that woman. After all, moms have always loved me. Little did I know what was going to hit me. But I am prepared now."

"Well, okay, if you say so," Josh said. "That woman really did a number on you. I assume she will be there, tomorrow. I think you should try and avoid her."

"No," Owen said. "I am not going to avoid her. She is my wife's mother. My son's grandmother. My mother-in-law. There is no getting around it. She may not like me, she may have thought that she got rid of me but I want to prove that I did get knock down but I got up and in the end, I got my girl, regardless of what she had to say."

"Good luck, brother," Josh said, raising his glass. "To a long and happy married life to you."

"Thanks," Owen said, draining the last bit of scotch from his class.

"And more kids, too," Josh added.

"Shh, don't let Cristina hear you say that," Owen said. "She thinks she's done in the baby-making department. Anyway, gotta go home to my mom's house. I am not spending the night at Cristina's apartment as I usually do. Can't see the bride before wedding and all that."

"Alright, I am just going to sit here for a while," Josh said. "Then I am going to hit the bed at my hotel."

The two old friends hugged each other.

* * *

><p>Cristina opened her eyes. It was her wedding day. She, Cristina Yang, was getting married today.<p>

Her phone rang. Who could be calling her so early in the morning? She answered, "Hello."

"Hey, baby. We're getting married, today," Owen said. "Before you ask, the baby is doing fine. Mom is taking good care of him."

She giggled. "You are going to be tied to me, forever."

"And that's how I want it," he said. "Anyway, just wanted to say good morning and the next time I see you, you are going to be my wife."

"I cannot wait," she said. "Bye, honey."

"Bye, babe," he said, before he hung up.

The next few hours were all a blur for Cristina as she got ready for her wedding. The make-up artist and hairstylist had come early. The bridesmaids also came over to get their hair and make-up done and to get into their dresses. The limo was coming to get them in a little bit to go to the venue.

"What about your parents?" Meredith asked. "Will your step-dad know what to do because they weren't here for the rehearsal dinner? Remember Chief Webber acted as father-giver at the rehearsal."

"Yeah, I told the wedding planner to brief him. How hard could it be? He just has to walk me down the aisle and hand me over to Owen," Cristina said.

"Has your mom spoken to Owen as yet? I know there was some bad blood there," Meredith said.

"Well, I'm all grown up, now. She has to accept it. She can't do anything about it, now," Cristina said, as she checked her make-up. "How do I look, Meredith?"

"You look beautiful, Cristina," Meredith said. They hugged.

"Don't make me cry, I will mess up my make-up," Cristina said.

Callie stuck in her head. "The limo is here, Cristina. Time to leave."

Meredith helped Cristina up and they walked out of the apartment. It was only a half-hour drive to the venue. As they came out of the car, Cristina asked, "How does the place look?"

"It is fabulous. It's just like you, understated and simple and elegant," Callie said.

"Could have used some more whistles and bells, here and there," Izzie started but she saw the look on Cristina's face. "But what do I know?"

The wedding planner came rushing to greet them. "Dr. Yang, I have already briefed your step-dad and he is waiting at the entrance. Everyone is in place, so whenever you're ready."

"I am ready," she said, as they hurried across to the entrance. She kissed her step-dad on the cheek. "Cristina, you look so beautiful. I am so proud of you," he said.

The music started. Izzie and Alex, then George and Callie made their way down the aisle. Then, it was Meredith's turn.

The music changed to the strains to "Here Comes the Bride."

"Breathe, Cristina, breathe," she told herself.

Her step-dad kissed her on the cheek, as she took his arm. They started their walk down the aisle.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments.**


	25. Chapter 25 The Wedding

Despite her somewhat serene exterior, Cristina was feeling nervous, walking down the aisle with her step-father. After all, the last time, she attempted to walk down the aisle, it hadn't gone so well and she was left at the altar.

She hadn't been too happy, then but she was grateful to Preston Burke, now. If she had got married to Burke, she would probably not be marrying Owen today. She gave a slight glance around. All her friends and her colleagues were all there and they were giving her smiles of encouragement.

She saw Owen's mom, Joanna, on one side of the church, holding Dylan who was dressed in a baby-sized tuxedo that matched his father's. She saw her mom on the other side, dressed in a cream-colored Chanel suit. As always, she was impeccably dressed but her mouth was drawn into a thin line. Inwardly, Cristina sighed. She knew her mother was not too happy about this marriage but at least, she showed up to the wedding.

Owen watched as his bride-to-be come up with the aisle. He hadn't seen her in two days and she looked so beautiful. He was so proud that she was going to be his wife that he broke out in a huge grin. He loved this woman so much.

As Saul handed over Cristina to Owen, he shook his future son-in law's hand. Saul had always liked Owen, no matter what Helen said about him. Saul took his place next to his wife.

It was a rather traditional wedding ceremony, except for when they had to say their vows. They had each agonized for days on what they were going to say.

Owen went first, "Cristina, my love, you are my life. I never thought this day would come when you would become my wife. When you walked into my ER as an 18-year-old girl, you took my breath away. Life and circumstances may have torn us apart over the years, but destiny and fate brought us back together. We were meant to be. You've given me the best thing I could ever ask for – our son. I will be honored to spend the rest of my life with you and I promise I will be the best husband and father I can be to the both of you."

Cristina let out a sharp breath, as she wiped away a tear. "Owen, you are my soulmate. The one I live for, the one I dream about. I cannot imagine my life without you. When we were apart, it was like a part of me was missing. When you came back, it was like if I was whole again. You make my life complete. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I can't promise I will always be the best wife but I will always love you."

Everyone laughed at Cristina's quip about not being the best wife. Even Owen chuckled because he knew his girl has always provided him with quite a few challenges.

After the exchange of the platinum wedding bands, the couple smiled and he gave her a rather long, tonguey kiss, which made the judge go "ahem." They broke apart and laughed. "May I introduce to you the happy couple – the Doctors Hunt."

As they happily made their way down the aisle as a married couple, Owen whispered, "You are my wife, baby."

"Yes," she answered. "Now you won't be able to get rid of me."

"I don't ever want to," he said, as he reached down and gave her another kiss.

The reception, which was held at a hall, near the wedding venue, was decorated in the same tasteful, elegant manner. After the formal part of the proceedings with the speeches were over, it was time for Cristina and Owen to share their first dance as man and wife. They had chosen, "When You Say Nothing at All," the Allison Kraus version. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they danced. Her arms were around his neck, while his hands were on her tiny waist.

As he held her close as they danced, he whispered, "I love you so much, Cristina." She rested her head on his chest. "I love you more," she said. He laughed. When the song ended and other people joined in the dancing. Cristina was going to dance with her step-dad, Josh was going to dance with Joanna and Owen was left to ask Helen to dance. It was now or never, he thought. He had to face his mother-in-law.

"Mrs. Rubenstein, would you care to have this dance?" he asked, putting out his hand to her. She nodded, stiffly and took his hand. As they danced together, nothing was said, immediately. It was Helen, who finally spoke.

"Dr. Hunt, I must commend you," she said. "You won yourself the prize. Your persistence has been admirable."

"Mrs. Rubenstein, I don't consider Cristina a prize. She wasn't something to be won by me. That actually cheapens her value. Cristina, to me, is a gift. She is the most wonderful present I have ever received. She gave herself to me and for that, I will always be grateful. Maybe you don't think I am worthy of her love but I am going to try everyday to do right by her," Owen said. "She makes my life worth living."

Helen looked at him. "Don't get me wrong, Dr. Hunt. I think you have done very well for yourself. But all those years ago, when I intervened in your relationship, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was protecting my daughter. Your financial status at that time was not the healthiest, even you can admit that. I was not going to put my daughter through a life of hardship with someone who was not able to take care of her."

"You were right that I wasn't going to be able to take care of her at that moment in my life. So I acquiesced to your wishes because I wanted her to fulfill her dreams. You threatened to cut her off and that was something I could not live with. I loved her enough to leave her then, so she could be what she wanted to be. But the one thing I cannot forget is how much pain I put her through. I broke her heart and for that I will always be sorry," he said.

"When I came here today, I wasn't too sure that she was doing the right thing by marrying you. She's all grown up, now so she can make her own decisions. You and she already have a baby – my grandson – and he is beautiful. I see now that you make her happy. It's hard for me to admit that I was wrong about you and maybe, I will never admit it. But you do make her happy and as a mother, I am happy that my child is happy," Helen said.

"Thank you," Owen said. "She makes me the happiest man alive. I think it is time you call me Owen as we're now related."

"Yes, Owen. You can call me Helen," Helen said. The song ended and as the couples broke apart, Meredith, who had been holding Dylan, handed him over to Cristina. Helen went to her daughter, "Congratulations, Cristina. You made a beautiful bride."

"Thanks, Mother," Cristina said. The baby cooed and reached out and touched his grandmother's face. Helen's heart melted as the baby stared at her with his beautiful blue eyes, which were rimmed by his long, dark lashes.

"Can I hold him, Cristina?" she asked. Cristina handed over her baby to her mother. Helen's face softened as she spoke to her grandson. "Who's a beautiful boy? Yes, you are, Dylan." She walked away, holding her grandson and headed back to her table to play with him.

"Hmmm," Cristina said. "That was probably the first time I have seen my mother act that way. She was never that nice to me." She turned to Owen, "How was your dance with the dragon lady?"

"We came to an understanding," Owen said. "We both love you and I promised that I would do right by you."

"I know my mother loves me. I just wished she didn't try to control me, when I was growing up," Cristina said.

"She wanted the best for you," Owen said.

"You're defending her?" Cristina was surprised.

"Well, not really defending her. I understand where she was coming from," he said. "She thought she was protecting you. But one thing, she was definitely wrong about me." He kissed her gently on the lips.

"Yup, she was wrong about you," Cristina said, as she squeezed her husband's hand. "Do you want to dance with your wife?"

"Always," he said and he took her into his arms again. When the reception ended, Owen and Cristina headed over to the Four Seasons for the night, before heading to Hawaii for their honeymoon. He had chosen the Four Seasons, since that was Cristina's hotel of choice in Boston. It reminded him of those days, when they were young and feeling the first blush of falling in love.

"The Four Seasons!" she said, as they made their way to their suite. "The good old days!"

"Yup, remember when I carried you up to your room at the Four Seasons, the night I met you because you had that sprained ankle," he said. "I gave you my phone number under the guise that if you were in any pain, you could call me. And I wheedled your phone number out of you, too." He grinned, remembering the night they first met.

"Well, I had no idea at the time that you were doing that. I just thought you were a caring doctor. I didn't know you had ulterior motives. Eileen was mooning over you," she said.

"Whatever happened to Eileen?" Owen asked. "I haven't heard that name in years."

"Eileen got married and lives in Vermont with her husband and five kids. They run a bed and breakfast, there," Cristina said.

"Five kids! That's a lot," Owen said. They reached their room. Owen swiped the hotel key and gave her a mischievous look.

"Even though I know you're always going to be Dr. Yang, I am going to call you Mrs. Hunt, today. Mrs. Hunt, I will now carry you over the threshold," he said. "As any newlywed husband would." He picked up his wife and carried her into the room and laid her on the bed. He went and picked up their suitcases from outside the room. They would be headed directly to the airport in the morning.

She lay back on the pillows and watched him put away the suitcases into the closet.

"You're staring at me!" he said, coming towards her.

"So? Are you saying that I can't stare at my handsome husband?" she said, teasingly.

"You can look at me, anytime. Why don't we get rid of some of your clothes?" he said, as he kissed her, deeply. He started stripping off her clothes, one by one. As each piece was removed, he gave her a kiss.

"Now it's your turn," she said. She got up from the bed and started stripping off his clothes and kissed him, as passionately as she took off each piece. Soon, they were both naked. He looked at her tiny body before him. "You're so beautiful. I am happy you're mine. I have been waiting all day to make love to you."

"Me, too," she said. He pushed her down gently on the bed, as he showered her body with soft kisses all over, before pushing apart her legs to taste her. He loved doing that because it gave him a special pleasure when he could make her come over and over again. Cristina closed her eyes and willingly gave herself to him, as she allowed herself to be engulfed in waves of ecstasy. She caressed his head as he feasted on her. Her body involuntarily jerked as she climaxed for him.

As he came up to kiss her, she whispered to him. "Your turn, now." She went down on him, slipping his throbbing member into her mouth, as she caressed the tip and neck with her tongue. She licked the sides of the shaft from the tip to the bottom, where she gently took each sac into her mouth. She went back up to the tip and took in as much of him as she could into her mouth, as her lips encircled his shaft. The sensations he was experiencing, was driving him crazy. He pulled her up and kissed her, before flipping her on to her back and driving himself into her.

They both gasped as he entered her. As he pounded into her, she opened herself up to take in as much of him as she possibly could. The sex was hard, fast and awesome, Cristina thought. When they made love, their bodies often became one. It was as if they had become a single being, like if their souls had become entwined.

She climaxed first, digging into his back with her fingernails, as her walls tightly hugged his cock as she came. He came soon after, exploding into her with his seed. He lay on her to catch his breath.

"Our first time as husband and wife," she said, wrapping her arms around his body.

"Just the first of many to come," he said. "I love you, Mrs. Hunt."

"I love you, too, Mr. Hunt," she whispered back.

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><p><strong>AN Don't forget to leave your reviews and comments. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!**


	26. Chapter 26 New additions

Meredith heard the crying coming from the residents' lounge. She could tell that it was her best friend because she knew how Cristina sounded when she cried. She rushed into the lounge to find Cristina sitting in Owen's lap with her head against his shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Meredith said, as she rushed forward. "Did someone hurt you? Let me know who it is and I will beat them up." Cristina raised her head and started to say something but no words came out. She gave another ugly cry and rested her head against Owen's shoulder.

As Meredith looked at the two of them, she noticed the vast difference in expression between Owen and Cristina. While Cristina was busy wailing away, Owen had the biggest smile on his face. Meredith was completely puzzled.

"Tell me what happened. I don't understand," Meredith said.

"She's pregnant," Owen said, with a grin.

"But Dylan is only seven months old," Meredith said. This elicited another wail from Cristina. She raised her head and squeaked out, "Exactly."

"How far gone are you?" Meredith asked.

"Ten weeks," Owen said. As Meredith worked it out, Cristina was already pregnant by the time she got married because she had only gotten married seven weeks ago. In fact, if the math was right, Cristina had already been pregnant when she went to Vegas for her bachelorette party.

"Well, good thing you haven't been drinking much," Meredith said.

Owen knew that Cristina was upset about the timing of the pregnancy. After all, their first child was still a baby. She had just come back to work full-time four months ago and had started to get back into the groove of surgery. Now entering her fourth year, she had thought that she would be able to channel all of her energy into surgery. But with this new baby, she was again going to be distracted.

Owen, on the other hand, was beyond pleased. He had missed the entire first pregnancy because he was a prisoner of war in Iraq. This was his chance to experience going through it with his wife. But his joy about the pregnancy was tempered by how badly Cristina was taking the news. Since the birth of Dylan, her menstrual cycle had been a little erratic. They had been using condoms but sometimes, they did take their chances now and then, even though they both knew that they shouldn't.

He rocked her until she stopped crying. Meredith asked if she needed her to stay. Cristina shook her head. She had become resigned to her fate. As Meredith left, Owen asked, "Are you okay, baby?"

She looked at him and said, "Yes. I guess we better start preparations for this little one. Good thing we closed on the house last week and we're moving in this week. We can't be living with Callie, if we keep bringing more babies into the world," Cristina said. Owen nodded.

They had bought a Craftsman style four-bedroom house with a big backyard. It was a beautiful house with lots of character. Owen envisioned his family living there with a yellow Labrador retriever. He could just picture it – the kids playing in the backyard with their dog, while he barbecued and Cristina sitting on a Adirondack chair, drinking a tall, cool lemonade.

They moved out of the apartment as soon as they could and settled into their new home. It was nice to actually have a place that was their own. Dylan had his own nursery and they decided they would just move the new baby into the nursery with him because they would be so close in age. It would make things a lot easier with the two babies in the same room.

The pregnancy was rather uneventful. Owen attended every appointment, oohed and aahed at all of the ultrasounds, ensured that Cristina drank her milk and took every pre-natal vitamin. He wanted to ensure that this was going to be a healthy mother and baby. He was determined to enjoy this entire experience.

When she was six months along, they decided that they were going to find out the sex of the baby. They couldn't stand not knowing. Then Cristina made a pact with Owen. They would both guess the sex of the baby and whoever was right, would have the right to name the baby.

Cristina was sure it was going to be a girl. She felt different with this baby. She had not been sick in the beginning, like she had been with Dylan so she had not been aware of the pregnancy until she was 10 weeks along. By default, Owen had no choice but to say it was a boy. They both had a lot riding on the outcome of the ultrasound. The ob/gyn looked at the two doctors, who looked overly eager to find out the sex of their baby.

"Well, come on, what is it?" Cristina asked.

"It's a…..boy!" Dr. Kazanjian said. He was surprised by the reaction of the two doctors. Dr. Hunt started dancing around while Cristina pouted. "Are you sure?" she said.

"Yes," he said, pointing to the appendage that revealed that the baby was a he.

After the appointment, Cristina met Meredith in the residents' lounge. "What's up, Cristina? Why so glum?" Meredith asked.

"I just gave up my baby-naming rights. I guessed the wrong sex of our baby and now Owen has full baby-naming rights for our son," she said, woefully.

"It's a boy? Congratulations!" Meredith said, hugging her friend.

"Hmmm," was all Cristina would say.

Having won the baby naming game, Owen decided that he was going to torture his wife with the most nerdtastic names. Every morning, he would give her a new name. He came up with names like Theophilus, Wilbur, Dilbert, Poindexter, Bartholomew, Quigley, Chauncey, Millhouse, Orville, Napoleon, Barnaby and Dweezil. He took special pleasure in watching the horror on her face, before walking away and laughing.

By the time the baby was born, she had resigned herself to having a baby with the nerdiest name in the playground. Owen brought the 15-month-old Dylan to see his little red-headed, brown-eyed brother. Dylan got all excited at the sight of his little brother, sleeping on his mother's chest.

"Baby," he said, clapping his chubby little hands. "Baby."

"Yes, it is a baby. He is your brother," Owen told him.

"Okay, let's hear it. What is the name you are going to give this poor boy?" Cristina said.

Owen smiled. He had chosen this name a long time ago but he chose to keep it a secret.

"The baby's name is Ethan Joshua Hunt," he said. Cristina breathed a sigh of relief. He laughed at her reaction. "Ethan is my dad's name and Joshua is the name of my best friend."

"Oh, you had me going for the last three months that my baby was going to the get some horrible name," she said. "I thought you were going to tell me the baby's name was Ebenezer."

"Now, why would you think I would do that my son?" Owen said. "He's a redhead like me. Hey, you never told me why you named our first baby Dylan."

"It is a foolish reason," Cristina said. "Do you remember the show Beverly Hills 90210? I used to watch it because I lived in that zip code. There was a character named Dylan McKay and he was hot with a capital H."

"Thank God, Mr. Hot with a capital H had a great name," he said, nuzzling his older boy.

"Yeah," Cristina said, as she looked at her three men. Cristina felt her life was complete.

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><p><strong><em>Seven years later<em>**

Cristina was at the grocers, when she felt the strong contraction pain. She had been having some little pains over the last few weeks and had been ordered on bedrest by her doctor for a month before her third baby's arrival. But she knew this pain was different. "Oh, great," she thought. "This had to happen to me." It was especially hard since she was with her eight-year-old son Dylan and his seven-year-old brother Ethan at the store.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Dylan asked, his blue eyes full of concern.

"I think I am going to have the baby," she said.

"Isn't it supposed to come next month?" Dylan said. "Isn't it too early?"

"Yeah, Dylan but I think this baby wants to come now," she said. She grabbed on to the cart as she dug into her handbag for her phone. She yelped in pain, as she felt another sharp contraction. "Call Dad," she ordered her older son, handing him the phone. In the meantime, Ethan looked on and he felt that there was something he could do. He saw the manager of the food store, "Mr. Eckles," he screamed to get the man's attention.

"What's wrong, Ethan?" Mr. Eckles came running and saw the obvious pain that Cristina was in. "Dr. Yang?"

"I am going to have my baby," she said. "It's a little early."

"Oh, God, oh, God," Mr. Eckles said, wondering why this had to happen on his shift. Mrs. Jones, the evening manager, would be better able to handle this, since she had three children. "Dr. Yang, let me get you to the office. I will call 911 when we get there." He led Cristina and her two sons to his office.

"Mom, I have Dad on the phone. He wants to talk to you," Dylan said, handing her the phone.

"Cristina, what are you doing at the store?" he asked. "Are you not supposed to at home, resting? You know this pregnancy has been very hard on you."

"The boys wanted to make Monkey Munch and we didn't have any Chex cereal," Cristina said. "Just wanted to make a quick trip to the store. I didn't know that this would happen, Owen. Ooooowwwww! Owen, the contractions are coming faster than I expected at this stage."

"Stay there, I am coming," he said. He didn't have time to change, so he ran out of the hospital in his scrubs but not before grabbing a bag of instruments he thought he might need. In the meantime, Cristina, Mr Eckles and the two boys had finally made their way to the manager's office. He laid out several blankets on the floor for her to lie on and placed a cushion from his couch under her head.

"How are you doing, Dr Yang?" he said.

"Not so good. I think this baby is coming now," Cristina screamed. Mr. Eckles called 911.

"Please help, I am calling from Fresh Foods Supermarket. I am the manager, Johnson Eckles, I have one of my customers with me here in my office. She is in active labor and is going to have her baby. Please hurry.

"What? What do you want me to do? Take a look to see if I can see the baby's head? You want me to look under her dress. Listen, you have not seen the size of this woman's husband.

"Oh, okay," Mr. Eckles, resigned that he had to check Cristina's progress.

"No, I don't see the head as yet but she seems to be in real pain and these contractions are coming fast. I am so sorry, Dr Yang that I had to do that," Mr. Eckles said.

"It's okay, Mr. Eckles. I am a doctor," she said. At that point, Owen rushed into the office.

"Dad, dad," the two boys said in unison. They were scared that their mother was in such a state.

"It's going to be okay, boys. I am going to take care of your mom," Owen said.

"I have 911 on the phone, Dr. Hunt," Mr. Eckles said, handing the surgeon the phone.

"Yes, I am a surgeon," Owen said to the 911 operator on the line. "Just hurry with the ambulance, please." He hung up the phone and then turned to Mr. Eckles, "Could you please take the boys out of the office? They're scared." Mr. Eckles happily shepherded the boys out of the office. He was so relieved to get out of there.

"Owen, the contractions are coming really fast. I have never had it like this before," Cristina said.

"I am here. I will help you through this," he said. He checked between her legs. "Cristina, this baby seems to want to come on its own. Can you push? Just a couple of pushes and she will be out." Cristina gritted her teeth and let out a loud scream. "Where are the drugs when you need them?" she said.

"I think it is too late for drugs, now," Owen said.

After a few agonizing pushes, Cristina finally got the baby girl out. She was rather quiet. Owen cut the umbilical cord and started rubbing the baby's chest. He cleared her nostrils the best that he could. "Come on, baby girl. I am your daddy. Please cry for me," he begged the tiny human. The baby let a little yelp first, and then a full-blown cry.

"Is she okay?" Cristina asked.

"Yeah, I think that she is okay," he said, resting the baby on Cristina's chest. It was at this point the office door burst open and a pair of paramedics burst in.

"Looks like all the hard work has already been done," the first paramedic said.

"Yes, I am a surgeon at Seattle Grace. Can you put her in the ambulance as quickly as possible?" Owen asked. "I am Dr. Owen Hunt, she is Dr. Cristina Yang and please be careful. This is my wife and my daughter."

"Yes, sir," the second paramedic said, grinning. The two paramedics placed Cristina on the gurney and wheeled her out.

Owen went to check on his boys. "It's okay, Dylan, Ethan. Mom and your baby sister are going to be alright."

"I was scared, Dad," Ethan said. "Yeah, me too,' Dylan admitted.

"I will take you boys to the hospital. When Mom and the baby get all cleaned up, you will be able to see them," Owen said, as the two boys took his hands and they went out of the store. On their way out, he thanked Mr. Eckles for all his help. Mr. Eckles nodded. It had been a very eventful morning.

A few hours later at the hospital, Dylan and Ethan stared at their baby sister. "Is she okay, Mom?" Dylan asked. "She came a little earlier than expected."

"Yes, Dylan. She is okay. She has been checked out," Cristina said. With her dark, curly hair and dark eyes, the baby looked like a mini-Cristina.

Owen came into the room and looked at his family. "So, boys, remember we talked about letting you get a chance to name the baby. What are your suggestions? Just remember Mom and I have veto power."

Dylan thought about it. "I have been thinking about it. I would like her name to be Jasmine, like the princess in the Aladdin story."

Ethan said, "Well, I think her name should be Grace. I heard there used to be a real princess named Grace."

"Those are two lovely names," Cristina said. She looked at Owen and he nodded. "We will call her Jasmine Grace Hunt. Thank you, boys. You have just named your sister."

The children climbed on their mother's bed to get a closer look at the baby. As he watched them, Owen could never imagine a man happier than he.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. The next chapter will be an epilogue.**


	27. Chapter 27 History Repeats Itself

_**EPILOGUE**_

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><p>Owen, Cristina and their 26-year-old son, Dylan stepped off the plane and into the terminal at JFK. They looked around for their 18-year-old daughter, Jasmine and their 25-year-old son, Ethan. They spotted them almost immediately – Dylan with his red hair and Jasmine with her long, ebony curls.<p>

"There they are," Cristina said. Her children rushed forward to greet their parents. Everyone hugged each other, tightly. It was a real happy reunion, as Cristina, Owen and Dylan had come to New York for Ethan's graduation from Columbia Medical School. Dylan, who was just finishing his first year internship at Seattle Grace, had gone to school at Johns Hopkins. Neither had applied to go to Stanford or Harvard, where their parents had attended medical school, because they wanted to carve out their own paths.

Eighteen-year-old Jasmine, soon to be turning 19, had just finished her first year at Barnard College. Unlike her brothers, Jasmine had no interest in medicine but wanted to be a writer. It was ironic, given that she looked so much like her mother, a two-time Harper Avery award winner. Cristina was not the only Harper Avery award winner in the family as Owen had also won one, too.

"So my little boy is graduating from medical school, tomorrow," Owen said, hugging his red-headed son.

"Dad, I am not a little boy. You're ruining with my cred with the ladies," Ethan protested, disentangling himself from his father's arms. Owen laughed.

"I guess we should just drop you guys off at the hotel," Jasmine said, shaking her dark, raven curls.

"You look so much like your mom did when I met her when she was 18 years old," Owen said, looking at his daughter's face. "I fell in love with her the moment I saw her."

"Hey, hey," Cristina said. "I am still hot. And you would still fall in love with me if you met me now."

"Yes, I would," he said, stopping to give his wife a big kiss on the mouth.

"Oh, gross," Dylan said. "See what I have to deal with back at Seattle Grace. Dad is the Chief of Surgery and Mom is the head of Cardio and they are always kissy-face. I get a lot of flak from the other interns about my parents. This is what you have to deal with, Ethan, when you start your internship."

Ethan shook his head, while Jasmine had a huge smile on her face. She loved that her parents were still in love with each other after so many years. That is what she wanted for herself.

They all piled into Ethan's SUV as they drove into the city. They dropped them off at the Four Seasons on East 57th Street.

Ethan remarked, "I don't know what you guys have with the Four Seasons Hotel, Mom and Dad. You always like to stay at the Four Seasons, no matter what city we're in."

Owen and Cristina looked at each other and smiled. As they dropped their parents and their sibling, Jasmine and Ethan headed back to their own apartment.

"So you're going to tell them, right?" Ethan asked his younger sister.

"Yes, I am," she said. "I don't want to keep him a secret, anymore."

"Good, I think you're doing the right thing, Jazz," Ethan said. "He's a good guy, they will like him."

"Do you think they will get mad? The age difference and all," she asked.

"I don't think so. Dad met Mom when she was 18 years old and there is like eight years between the two of them. Look at them, now, they're still so happy to be together, after all these years," Ethan said.

"Yes, they are. I hope to be like that, when I get to be their age," Jasmine said.

"Don't tell them this, but me, too," Ethan said. "I just have to find the right girl."

"I think I found the right guy," Jasmine said.

"I am glad you think that way. Spencer is a great guy," Ethan said with a twinkle in his eye. "And he is my friend."

"Yeah," Jasmine answered, with a smile, as she thought about her boyfriend, Spencer O'Quinn. "I think I will tell Dad first and gauge his reaction, then I will let him tell Mom about Spencer."

"Ah, you're buttering Dad up because he has a weakness when it comes to you," Ethan said. "It's only because you look like Mom. When he sees you, all he can think about is when he met her when she was 18."

"Well, that's the advantage I have over you and Dylan," she said. "I have to use it."

Just then, her phone rang. She dug into her handbag. "Hey, Spence," she said, answering the phone. "Yes, our parents are here. Yes, don't worry, I am going to tell them about you and introduce you.

"Stop panicking that they are both Harper Avery winners. They are both brilliant surgeons but they are still human, Spence.

"Okay, I am going to talk to my dad, tomorrow before the ceremony and then we will introduce you. Alright, bye, then."

Ethan chuckled. "He's panicking! That is hilarious."

Jasmine said, "Yes and it is driving me crazy." They both laughed at Spencer's expense as they headed back to their apartment.

The next day was a lovely spring morning in New York. The sun was shining as all of the Hunts gathered for Ethan's graduation ceremony at the auditorium. Jasmine sought out her father, leading him by the arm to a spot outside of the hall.

"What's up, Jazz?" Owen said. "Why are you taking me away from your mother?"

"I need to talk to you, really badly," Jasmine said.

"What's the matter? You're getting me a little scared, here," Owen said, anxiously.

"No, Dad, nothing major is wrong. I need to talk to you about my boyfriend," Jasmine said, quietly.

"You have a boyfriend? This is the first I am hearing of this," he said, smiling. "Am I going to meet him?"

"Yes you are. His name is Spencer O'Quinn and he is a friend of Ethan's. In fact, he is graduating today with Ethan," she said.

"If he is graduating today, Jazz, then that means he must be about 25 or 26 years old," Owen said.

"Yes, I know that," she said. "I know he is older but you were older than Mom when you met her."

"This is true," Owen said. "I fell for a teenager. In the beginning, Grandma Helen did not like me at all."

"I know that but I am hoping that it will be different with you and Mom. He's really a great guy. He is smart, kind and really, really good to me. You can ask Ethan. He can vouch for him," Jasmine said, trying to make the best case for her boyfriend.

"Also, another thing. He has a lot of student debt. His family is not like ours," she said. "But he is going to start his internship at Columbia Presbyterian."

"I had a lot of debt when I was a resident. That's one of the reasons Grandma Helen did not like me. But I am not going to hold that against him, Jazz," Owen said. "I will make my own assessment of the young man. I assume I am going to meet him, today."

"Yes, you are. Another thing, Dad. Would you tell Mom about him?" she said, with a sweet smile.

"Ah, so you're using me, so I can soften up your Mom for you," he laughed. He reached over and hugged his daughter. "I am sure I am going to like him, Jazz. If you and Ethan like him, he must be a great guy."

"I don't just like him, Dad. I love him," she said.

"You love him," he said. "I guess this is serious, honey. Well, we really have to meet him, now."

"Thank you, Dad," she said. They put their arms around each other and joined Cristina and Dylan in the hall. Owen took the seat next to his wife and started whispering to her. Jasmine watched the changes in her mother's expression to gauge how she was taking the news. In the end, she saw her mother nodding.

The graduation ceremony was as expected, long. The family clapped loudly when Ethan crossed the stage to collect his diploma. Jasmine noted that her parents took special attention to when Spencer O'Quinn's name was announced. She was proud of her tall boyfriend with the brown hair and grey eyes, as much as she was proud of her brother. Spencer looked for her in the audience and waved at her.

After the ceremony, Ethan and Spencer made their way to the Hunts. Spencer was clearly nervous. Jasmine took his hand.

"Good going, son," Owen said, slapping his son on his back. Cristina gave her son a kiss on his cheek.

"Mom, Dad, this is Spencer O' Quinn," Jasmine said. The young man with the floppy brown hair offered his hand to Dr Hunt and Dr Yang. "So honored to meet you," Spencer said, as Owen shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, son," Owen said. Spencer shook Cristina's hand. "Dr. Yang, I am interested in specializing in cardiothoracic surgery and it is indeed a great honor to meet a pioneer like you."

"Thank you, Spencer," Cristina said. "So you're interested in cardio. Very interesting. Let's talk about it." Spencer was enthralled to have the ear of the amazing Dr. Cristina Yang. He followed her like a puppy dog to the reception hall.

"Well, Jazz," Owen said. "Spencer certainly knew the way to your mother's heart. Get her talking on cardiothoracics." He put his arm around his daughter. "Let's join them, shall we?" He, Jasmine, Ethan and Dylan followed Spencer and Cristina into the hall.

Later that night, as they lay in their bed at the Four Seasons, Owen turned to Cristina. "So what do you think of Spencer?"

"He is a lovely young man, ambitious, smart and best of all, he makes Jasmine happy," she said.

"We were nicer to him than your mom was to me," Owen said, chuckling.

"Well, that is because we are not dragons," Cristina said. Owen pulled his wife closer to him.

"I have loved you from the day I saw you. Tiny Asian girl with the sprained ankle," he said.

"Big, strong red-headed doctor who looked after me," she said, squeezing his biceps.

"But you didn't love me then. You were dating while I was calling you every night," he said.

"I didn't think that a doctor would be interested in an 18-year-old girl," she said.

"That's why I was calling you," he said.

"Well, it all worked out in the end," she said. "We have three wonderful children and we're happy."

"Yeah, we're happy," he said, as he claimed her mouth with his own.

_**THE END**_

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><p><strong>AN: So we have come to the end of this story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't forget to leave your reviews because I would really love to read your comments as we have reached the end.**


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